“They’ve become a better, balanced side” - Glenn Hoddle predicts Champions League finalists before Arsenal, Real Madrid and Man City games
Pundit Glenn Hoddle has backed Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to reach the Champions League final ahead of Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid's games. The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder reckons that the French Ligue 1 holders won't have much problem overcoming Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals.
PSG managed to turn around a 3-2 deficit from the first leg against Barcelona to win 1-4 at Camp Nou on Tuesday, April 16. Ronald Araujo's red card certainly helped the French giants in mounting a comeback but Hoddle has insisted that they have improved a lot since last season.
The Parisians will take on German Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals who also recorded an impressive victory on Tuesday. Edin Terzic's side overturned a 2-1 deficit from the first leg against Atletico Madrid with a 4-2 win at Signal Iduna Park.
Despite Borussia Dortmund coming up with such a strong showing, Hoddle has insisted that PSG will be too good for the BVB to handle. He told TNT Sports, as quoted by Metro:
"What I’ve seen tonight with Dortmund, I can only see PSG winning this game. They were good tonight Dortmund but it was an open game. I just don’t see PSG losing that game."
Hoddle added:
"They’ve become a better, balanced side in terms of defence and attack. They’ve got the best player in the world (Kylian Mbappe). It might be the last time we see him in the Champions League in a PSG shirt. They’re in the semi-final and I think they will get to the final now."
With PSG and Borussia Dortmund having already made the semis, the contest for the other two spots will take place on Wednesday, April 17. Bayern Munich will take on Arsenal while Manchester City will take on Real Madrid in the second legs with everything to play for. Both games in the first leg ended in stalemates as Arsenal drew 2-2 against Bayern Munich while Manchester City drew 3-3 against Real Madrid.
Rafa Benitez backs Arsenal and Liverpool to keep fighting Manchester City for the title
Former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has claimed that his former club and Arsenal can still beat Manchester City for the Premier League title. Both sides lost their Premier League games last weekend, handing Manchester City an advantage in the three-horse race.
Pep Guardiola's side currently find themselves at the top of the table with a two-point advantage over both their title rivals. However, Benitez reckons that the Cityzens can still drop points, bringing the title race back to life. The Spaniard said (via Sky Sports):
"Manchester City are playing with a lot of confidence. They have a good squad – they can change three or four players and still win easily. Can I see them making similar mistakes as Liverpool and Arsenal did this weekend? Yes, I can. But at the same time the others could make mistakes so I think City have a great advantage."
Benitez added:
"I watched both games and Liverpool had some bad luck because they had some great chances. A similar thing happened with Arsenal, they were better in the first half but then they lost control of the game and they were suffering. I think, like Liverpool, being in this position where they cannot lose games or drop points affected them."
Manchester City are chasing history by becoming the first team ever in English football to win four straight league titles. Liverpool are chasing their 20th first-division title while Arsenal are chasing their first title since 2004.