Arsenal will resume their Champions League campaign later this month when they take on FC Porto in the round of 16.
The Gunners have never won the elite European competition, and while they topped their group upon returning to the competition after a six-year absence, Ian Wright does not fancy their chances of winning it, insisting his old club are not just clinical enough in front of goal.
Arsenal have struggled to convert most of their big chances across all competitions this season, and Wright believes it could be their undoing in the Champions League when asked on the latest episode of the Stick to Football podcast whether they could win it.
Neville: “Can Arsenal win it this year?”
Wright: “I would love Arsenal to win it.”
Neville: “They defend well, and they counter attack well.”
Wright: “If we got there in the final with (Manchester) City, I would feel more comfortable.”
Carragher: “I can see Arsenal losing to a team they should beat. You know what I mean? that mentality… that feeling that you are not European giants.”
Wright: “You’ve to be more ruthless with the chances. You’ve got to see games off so that you can relax in the game. At the moment, we are not taking those chances even though in the end we’ve won the games. If we could take those chances, I would be more confident about going to play these days because we are defending a lot better.”
Arsenal put in one of their best performances of the campaign on Sunday, running out 3-1 winners against Premier League leaders Liverpool, but they can be inconsistent at times, and the lack of a quality number 9 has been regularly underlined as a key weakness.
They will fancy their chances against Porto across two legs, but whether they have what it takes to advance to the latter stages remains to be seen.
Arsenal last reached the final of the Champions League in 2006 and will need to be on top of their game to have a realistic chance of replicating that feat this term.
They are still very much in the race no matter what anyone thinks, and many believe they are one of the dark horses this season.
There are only six games between them and the final, and just anything is possible if Arsenal can put in their best in every game going forward in the competition.
