Gary Lineker has shared the two teams he hopes to see in the Champions League final, though he believes one will fall short.
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Both semi-finals remain finely poised after the first legs, with PSG edging Arsenal 1-0 at the Emirates to take a narrow advantage back to France. ..Continue Reading
Meanwhile, Barcelona and Inter Milan produced a thrilling 3-3 contest, setting the stage for another captivating showdown at the San Siro next week.
All four clubs have delivered outstanding performances throughout the tournament and each could make a strong case for reaching the final in Munich on May 31.
Lineker admits this season’s Champions League is unpredictable but is confident that his former team, Barcelona, will get past Inter in Italy on Tuesday.
‘I still fancy Barcelona, but the truth is it’s impossible to predict because it’ll be like Wednesday night because that’s how Barcelona play home and away,’ the legendary England striker said on The Rest is Football podcast.
‘They’ll back themselves to outscore the opposition. Inter Milan will have to finish the chances that they get as they did generally.
‘The [Marcus] Thuram finish was excellent, the second goal was really good as well as he [Denzel Dumfries] hooked it over his shoulder.’
Lineker later predicted that the Spanish giants would be joined by PSG in the final, though admitted he would rather see the Gunners advance.
‘[Barcelona vs PSG], I think that’s what it’ll be – not with any great confidence,’ he added.
‘I don’t think Arsenal are completely out of it, but obviously it’s a tough ask for them to go there to with a relatively young side… well, “young side”, look at Barcelona’s.
‘Barcelona vs Inter could be anything, but I couldn’t go against that Barca team. The way they play it’s incredible.
‘I’d like to see Arsenal vs Barca, that’s what I’d like to see cause I’m a supporter of English football.’
Given their loss in the first-leg, Arsenal are the least favourites to win the Champions League, with the Premier League team aiming to overcome the odds and reach the final for only the second time in their history.
‘Paris is a tough place to go but still we have proved always that we can compete against anybody and, with all due respect to anybody, I think we are going to win the second leg,’ Gunners midfielder Mikel Merino said after the defeat in north London.
‘Based on what I have seen tonight, I think you have seen a team that can compete against a huge side like Paris.
‘This team, you never can give up on us because I think we proved that we always going to fight until the end, so I think we have the technical quality and most important we have the motivation to go to the second leg and win this for our fans and for ourselves.’
