Ex-England midfielder Owen Hargreaves has shared his predictions for the first-leg semifinals of the Champions League, featuring Barcelona versus Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain against Arsenal.
Hargreaves also foresaw PSG and Barcelona advancing to the final, with Arsenal and Inter Milan falling short. ..Continue Reading
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s YouTube channel, he praised PSG’s strong performances against Liverpool and Aston Villa.
He also emphasized the exceptional level Barcelona have reached under the management of former Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick.
“Arsenal look ready this year, but if you look at it historically, it does take clubs steps [to win the Champions League]. Semifinals are still amazing, they could do it, definitely.
“But PSG have been in this spot a bit more recently. They’ve got guys who have just been doing it a fraction longer than Arsenal.
“Arsenal can win with less possession and playing counter-attacking football because they’ve got the best defence. But I think the final will be PSG vs Barcelona.
“That other game is a real clash of two styles. Inter Milan are cool without the ball, Barca have loads of the ball and that high line. Hansi Flick is the real deal by the way. Barcelona were a train wreck when he took over.”
PSG advanced to the Champions League semifinals after edging past Aston Villa with a 5-4 aggregate victory, while Arsenal convincingly defeated Real Madrid, the fifteen-time European champions, 5-1.
Barcelona secured their semifinal spot with a 5-3 aggregate win over Borussia Dortmund, while Inter Milan triumphed 4-3 against Bayern Munich in a closely contested quarterfinal.
