Jamie Carragher has said that he would love to see Arsenal face Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. The Gunners are set to face Portuguese club FC Porto in the Round of 16, who finished second in their group behind Barcelona (tied on points).
Manchester City, meanwhile, are scheduled for a showdown against Danish club FC Copenhagen in the Round of 16. Copenhagen have already shocked Manchester United once in the group stages of the competition.
If both the English clubs reach the last eight, Carragher wants to see the Gunners vs. the Cityzens. He believes Arteta‘s side can knock City out of the competition. Carragher said on the Stick to Football podcast (via The Boot Room):
“I’d love Arsenal to get City in the quarters because I think Arsenal are one of the few teams who could knock City out.”
Gary Neville replied, saying:
“Is that for Liverpool in the league?”
Carragher agreed, saying:
“Yeah because when you play an English team in Europe everything ramps up in Europe. The press, everything. The league games before and afterwards, this game just becomes so big and that probably would help Liverpool. But we don’t want City to win it again, do we?”
The Gunners, along with City and Liverpool, are currently fighting for the Premier League title. The Merseysiders are leading the chart with 51 points from 23 games. Both City and Arsenal are two points behind, although the former has played one game less (22).
Arsenal’s journey in the UEFA Champions League 2023-24
Arsenal, courtesy of their second-placed league finish in the 2022-23 season, returned to the Champions League this term after seven years of absence. They were in Group B alongside PSV Eindhoven, RC Lens, and Sevilla.
The Gunners topped their group, winning four, drawing one, and losing another match. They racked up 13 points in six matches, scoring 16 goals while conceding only four. Their ony defeat in this season’s Champions League came in the 2-1 loss to RC Lens.
Arsenal’s first leg against Porto is on February 21 with the return fixture set for March 12. The second leg will be held at Arsenal’s home at the Emirates.
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