Former Arsenal forward Ian Wright has given his opinion on what the Gunners must do to make him believe they can win the UEFA Champions League this season.
The pundit explained that Mikel Arteta’s side need to be more ruthless and finish games off earlier to convince him of their chances of going all the way in Europe.
Excitement is building up among football fans once again as the Champions League is set to return in less than a week. Arsenal are scheduled to go head-to-head with Portuguese side FC Porto in the first leg of their round of 16 encounter at the Estadio do Dragao on Wednesday, February 21.
The Gunners are one of the clubs who have impressed the most in the competition so far this season, finishing on top of their group with 13 points. However, when asked to name which club are favorites to win the trophy, Ian Wright snubbed Mikel Arteta’s men in favor of the defending champions Manchester City.
“I think Man City are going to do it,” he said on the latest episode of the Stick to Football podcast.
The Arsenal icon went on to detail what his former side needs to do to earn his conviction for Champions League glory this season.
“I’d love Arsenal to win it. If we got there in the final with City, I’d feel more confident,” he continued. “You’ve got to be more ruthless with the chances. You’ve got to see games off so that you can relax in games. At the moment, we’re not taking those chances even though in the end we won the game.”
“If we could take those chances, I’d be more confident going to places because we’re defending a lot better,” added the Englishman.
After meeting in Portugal for the first leg of their tie this month, Arsenal and Porto will lock horns in the second leg at the Emirates Stadium on March 12.
How Arsenal have performed in the Champions League this season
The Gunners kick-started their European campaign with a 4-0 victory over PSV Eindhoven. They lost to Lens 2-1 in their next game but managed to earn a vital victory over Sevilla by the same scoreline when they met on Matchday 3.
Arteta’s side beat Sevilla again 2-0 in their second meeting before hammering six past Lens without a reply on Matchday 5. They concluded the group phase with a 1-1 draw with PSV – enough to secure them the top spot and set up their round of 16 clash with Porto.
Arsenal approach the fixture in good form, after winning each of their last three games across all competitions, including a 3-1 hammering of Liverpool in the Premier League last time out.
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