Mikel Arteta came within touching distance of reaching the Champions League final last season with Arsenal.
Martin Odegaard was the scapegoat as the Gunners lost the second leg of the semi-final 2-1 against the eventual winners, Paris Saint-Germain.
The 2024/25 Champions League run was the most competitive Arsenal have been in Europe’s elite competition since losing the final against Barcelona in 2006.
[
Click to subscribe to the podcast ](https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondTheBackFour?sub_confirmation=1)
Victory over Real Madrid in the quarter finals, in particular, courtesy of Declan Rice’s spectacular free-kick goals, led many Arsenal fans to believe they could, at last, win the competition for the first time in the club’s 139-history.
And while the Gunners were eventually thwarted in the semi-finals, Arteta has proven that he can compete among Europe’s elite, and now the Spaniard has learned the chances of his side winning this year’s competition.
Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, gestures during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield.
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal are one of the favourites to win the Champions League
According to the Opta Analyst supercomputer, Arsenal are the second most likely to win the competition this year, only behind Premier League champions Liverpool.
The Gunners lost 1-0 at Anfield heading into the international break as Dominik Szoboszlai’s “incredible” free kick in the 83rd minute secured the three points for Liverpool.
However, Arteta’s men are only 4.4% less likely to win the Champions League over the Reds and 3.9% more likely to win than the reigning European champions.
Arsenal are now in a much stronger position to compete this year – Pierro Hincapie’s deadline day arrival from Bayer Leverkusen marked the end of a £253 million spending spree at the Emirates.
Furthermore, Viktor Gyokeres is expected to score plenty of goals for the Gunners after he scored six goals in eight Champions League outings for Sporting CP last season.
The 27-year-old scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 win against Manchester City at the Jose Alvalade Stadium in November as he exploded onto the European stage.
Arsenal have the easiest league phase fixtures in the Champions League
The Gunners will begin their Champions League campaign when they travel to Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday. Despite facing tough clashes against Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich, they have the easiest league phase fixtures among the Premier League teams.
Of course, Arsenal have suffered crushing defeats at the hands of Bayern over the years, most particularly when the Bundesliga champions won both Round of 16 clashes 5-1 in 2017.
2025/26 Champions League
Rank Club Average opponent rating
1. Arsenal 88.8
2. Tottenham Hotspur 89.1
3. Liverpool 89.9
3. Chelsea 89.9
5. Manchester City 90.2
Statistics provided by Opta Analyst.
And while Arsenal have never beaten Atletico Madrid, Arteta will undoubtedly feel confident about his chances of beating both sides in the league phase.
Indeed, there is increasing pressure on the Spaniard to deliver silverware at the Emirates this season, and perhaps the five-year wait for a trophy could come to an end in the Champions League.