Arsenal have put themselves in a strong position to book a semi-final spot after dismantling reigning champions Real Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final clash.
The Emirates erupted after two stunning free-kick goals from Declan Rice and a well-taken strike from Mikel Merino. ..Continue Reading
However, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti will be aiming to overturn the deficit with a dramatic comeback in the return leg at the Bernabéu.
Should the Gunners eliminate the 15-time European champions, they would be considered one of the top contenders to lift the trophy, with many bookmakers expected to boost their odds.
Despite that, former Manchester United and England centre-back Ferdinand believes PSG are the team to beat, ranking them ahead of Mikel Arteta’s side.
The French giants knocked out Premier League leaders Liverpool in the previous round and continued their impressive form with a 3-1 win over Aston Villa in their quarter-final first leg at Parc des Princes.
Villa initially took the lead through Morgan Rogers on the break, but PSG responded with a thunderous equaliser from Desire Doue.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia then fired them ahead after the restart, before Nuno Mendes added a crucial third goal deep into stoppage time.
‘They played with a real authority tonight,’ Ferdinand told TNT Sports. ‘They played like they’ve won this tournament many times before.
‘I have them as favourites right now. The way I saw the man-handle Liverpool over two legs and dominate this game here.
‘They took this tie away from Aston Villa with that performance. They’re favourites for me.
‘This is a different PSG team that we’ve ever seen in this competition. Over the years they’ve had players who can define game with moments. They’ve still got that but they’ve also got control and tempo.’
Former Aston Villa defender Stephen Warnock admitted the tie was ‘massively in PSG’s favour’ after they won by two goals in the first leg.
‘I don’t think it was any tweak to PSG’s system that made the difference for them in the second half, it was Villa doing things differently that changed the game,’ he said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
‘PSG were hoping to draw them out of defence and almost give them false hope by leaving spaces for them to attack into, because they wanted to bring them out of their defensive shape to leave them open on the counter-attack.
‘Villa are going to have the same problem in the second leg too, especially with the score at 3-1.
‘Now they will have to go at them, which opens up the game for PSG on the break. If Villa were 2-1 down they could stick with the way they played in the first half tonight, knowing they can nick a goal and level the tie.
‘PSG will be much happier now because they know they have got a two-goal lead to defend, and they also have this threat on the break.
‘The third goal massively changes the tie, and it is massively in their favour now.’
Aston Villa goalscorer Rogers, meanwhile, said his team-mates have ‘nothing to lose’ when they face PSG next week.
‘There’s loads of belief in the changing room,’ he said. ‘We have nothing to lose, nobody thought we’d win the tie in the first place.
‘Why not just go for it? We’ve definitely got the quality to turn things around. It’s not done yet.’
Paris Saint-Germain will face Arsenal if both clubs progress to the semi-finals, with teams like Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan on the other side of the draw.
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