"Only ones that can push them over two legs" - Paul Merson names only team that can beat Manchester City in the UCL this season
Arsenal are the only side good enough to defeat Manchester City in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) this season, according to football pundit Paul Merson.
The reigning European champions secured a comfortable 3-1 victory over Copenhagen in the second leg of their UCL Round of 16 clash on Wednesday (6 March), winning 6-2 on aggregate.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid scraped through to the quarter-finals with a 1-1 draw against RB Leipzig in their second-leg clash, winning 2-1 on aggregate. Discussing the two mid-week Champions League games, Merson told talkSPORT:
“Watching Real Madrid who are one of their nearest rivals in the Champions League and they’re falling over the line, it shows you how good Man City are. I don’t see anybody touching them [Manchester City] over two legs, Real Madrid tonight, no way, I watched Bayern Munich last night - no way.”
Arsenal have been in stellar form in the Premier League recently, winning their last seven games by an aggregate score of 31-3. The Gunners beat City 1-0 in the league back in October at the Emirates and Merson insists they are the only ones who can defeat last season's treble-winners over two legs.
He said:
“I think the nearest ones to them are going to be Arsenal. I really think Arsenal are the only ones that can push them over two legs. We’ve seen Arsenal beat Man City at home, and if we saw them in the Champions League and they got a goal head start, who knows, so I see Arsenal as the only ones that can beat Man City.”
Manchester City will next face Liverpool in the Premier League at Anfield on Sunday (10 March).
Manchester City's Erling Haaland hails Lionel Messi as the GOAT
Manchester City talisman Erling Haaland has lavished praise on Lionel Messi, hailing him as the greatest player ever.
Haaland had arguably one of the best debut campaigns ever seen last season after joining Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2022. The Norway international racked up 52 goals across competitions last term, helping them win a historic treble.
However, Lionel Messi trumped Haaland to win the Ballon d'Or in 2023 after his victorious 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign with Argentina.
During a press conference ahead of City's Champions League tie against Copenhagen, Haaland was asked whether Messi would have to hang up his boots for him to win individual awards.
He said (via GOAL):
"Good question! I don’t know. I've won it all but I'm only 23, so I want to win it all again. Messi is the best that has ever played, maybe he has to retire for someone else to be regarded as the best."