As Arsenal prepare to host Atletico Madrid in the decisive second leg of their massive Champions League semi-final showdown at the Emirates, the tension in North London is high.
With the tie beautifully poised at 1-1 following their meeting in the Spanish capital last week, the stakes couldn’t possibly be higher.
While many fans and pundits are nervously biting their nails and sitting firmly on the fence, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has confidently backed Arsenal to beat the Spanish giants and qualify for their first Champions League final since 2006.
He is boldly predicting that Mikel Arteta’s men will punch their ticket to the grand finale.
For years, the narrative surrounding Arsenal in Europe was incredibly consistent, they were beautifully brilliant on the ball, but fragile when the going got tough.
Carragher backs Arsenal to qualify for UCL final
According to Carragher, that soft underbelly has been completely eradicated under Arteta.
The “big change” the pundit is raving about is Arsenal’s newfound, ruthless pragmatism.
Carragher said on The Gary Neville podcast: “I think Arsenal will get through.
“I think they’re a better team than Atletico Madrid. I don’t think Atletico are that good if I’m being honest.
“Even in the first leg, there was a 20-minute period when Atletico were on top but either side of that Arsenal were in control of the game.
“I think the big thing Arsenal have done in the last couple of games is put Declan Rice a little bit deeper and I think that’s had a big impact.
“I thought he played well against Atletico, showed real authority, and was excellent at the weekend against Fulham.
“I’ve been worried about that midfield, we’ve highlighted that a lot recently, but there’s been a little change there and it helped.”
Gunners have evolved under the leadership of Arteta
In the past, a naive Arsenal side might have completely lost their heads during the chaotic 1-1 draw at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano last week.
Instead, they matched Atletico’s intense physicality blow-for-blow.
Carragher argues that because Arsenal have finally learned how to suffer without collapsing, they are the favourites to go through.
Not to forget, the Gunners have home advantage in the second leg and they would be hoping that the support from their fans will act as a catalyst to push them through this difficult match.
As Carragher pointed out Rice’s change in position recently, Arteta would be hoping to see his midfielder put his best performance of the season in the club’s biggest match in a long time.
Champions League final in Budapest is the target for Arteta and his players and they have a great chance of making history, or at least continue the process of making history.
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