In his last Sky Sports, Paul Merson Column, a view of the Champions League quarterfinals, with Arsenal and Aston Villa in action.
Gunners Mikela Arteta faces holders and 15 times the winner of the Champions League of Real Madrid with the first foot in Emirates on Tuesday evening.
Meanwhile, Villa continues his journey a day later, visiting Paris Saint-Germain, who was eliminated by the leader of the Premier League Liverpool in the last round. The key sees Unai Emery and Marco Asensio attend their former club.
Read below for the thoughts of the magical man on the clashes of the last eight …
“Arsenal must win the first leg – maybe at least two”
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta looks forward to the quarterfinals of the Champions League against Real Madrid holders and begs for Gunners supporters to create a “special atmosphere” in the Emirates.
Arsenal must win this first leg. One is a bare minimum, I think they will have to win at least two.
We saw it last year’s quarterfinals with Bayern Munich, where it was comfortable for Bayern in the second stage, after 2-2 draws in Emirates. And I don’t see that Real Madrid in Bernabeu didn’t score two goals.
Real doesn’t play well at the moment. Arsenal will hurt them because Real is admitting too many goals at the moment.
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Arsenal’s Bukayo jacket says he feels mentally fresh when he returned from the release of injuries when his party is preparing on the quarterfinal of the Champions League against Real Madrid holders.
They lost to Valencia at the weekend, lost in Bernabe on Real Sociedad in the second stage of Copa del Rey, the game before legga that they were 2-1 before they returned and won 3-2.
But even if they don’t play well, they always appear in the Champions League. This is a concern for Arsenal.
Real was really supposed to go against Athletico Madrid, and they would find a way. I remember a few years ago when they played against Chelsea in the Stages Knockout 2022, Chelsea was comfortable in Bernabe, but then Luka Modric plays one of the biggest passages I’ve ever seen with an outer shoe to save them.
If Arsenal can get two gates in the first leg, I think they have a chance.
It is a big request for arsenal – but I will not judge Mikel Artet about it. You have to consider it, have no central forward and you lost the center in Gabriel.
Next season I judge Artt when he gets the center forward. If they do not win the league after it gets back, I think it will have great trouble.
“Gabriel injury damages the chances of arsenal”
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Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes was forced to injure hamstring during the victory against Fulham, which means that the middle back will miss the huge clash of the Champions League with Real Madrid and is out for the rest of the season.
I thought it was a chance of 50:50 when Bukayo jacket returned from the injury. But now with Gabriel’s injury, I say 25 percent.
If you had a choice between jacket and Gabriel for these two legs, you would choose Gabriel. Because the way Arsenal wins is if he makes him a cagey cup tie. If it gets to the Gung-Ho football match, there is only one winner.
Saliby and Gabriel improve each other. They are like Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson, they play much better together.
It is a big request for Jakub Kiwior, if he is the one who begins. Jurrien Timber played only on Wednesday back once or twice, while Ben White has been out for a long time.
You ask someone who barely plays – because it’s not as good as the other two – to enter the quarterfinal of the Champions League. Kiwior is fine, but it’s not arsenal.
And you ask Kiwiora Mark him. Kylian Mbappe, the best in the world or at least in the first three next to Harry Kane and Erling Haaland.
Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid is a dangerous man for arsenal
He plays on his shoulder and if he goes through, I just don’t see someone catch him.
And I think it’s worried about Arsenal. They will have to win this football match and sometimes have to chase it. There it is dangerous.
“Rashford’s pace can hurt the villa”
In this I feel good about Aston Villa.
It’s hard for the villa, but they have a 100 % pace of counterattack and blame to hurt PSG.
They have the pace of Marcus Rashford, Morgan Rogers and John McGinn, will have a chance.
Villa will have to play a counterattack and if PSG is pushing people forward, I just remember when Rashford did a PSG where he was in Manchester United.
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Has Marcus Rashford pulled out the Kotlet Mesut Ozil in his first Premier League goal for Aston Villa?
My only worry is that I have never seen Aston Villa do what Liverpool did PSG in the first stage. Any other tie in the world in the world would be above that night.
But Liverpool was much better in the second leg. I thought they destroyed PSGs who couldn’t get out that night. This could be the PSG that appears.
But my fear is the first leg against Liverpool. If PSG plays anywhere, it will be difficult for Aston Villa.
The first stage in Paris could also be a game where PSG injured Villa a little more. PSG comes out and I don’t think Villa can play such a high line compared to what they usually play.
And if so, you will never catch ous Dembele in a month of Sunday.
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The most important in terms of Premier League match between Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.
I think if Villa loses one in the first stage in Paris, they have a chance. I think Villa will score goals in this tie.
The only thing is that you have no goals – which I think was the worst change of the rule I’ve ever seen.
This goal was the name of the game what Europe was about. All he does is that you can go out and be negative in the first leg.
If you get a 1-0 defeat, now it’s a great result in Europe. When I played in Europe, you got to beat 1-0 away and that’s a cruel result.
