Coventry City FC v Middlesbrough FC - Sky Bet Championship
Arsenal have ‘the best team and the best squad’ in the Champions League, says Troy Deeney (Picture: Getty)
Troy Deeney says Arsenal have the ‘best team and squad’ in the Champions League but the club’s lack of ‘history’ in the competition means they remain an ‘unknown’.
Arsenal breezed through to the last 16 with a 100 per cent record in the group stage, winning eight from eight while scoring 23 goals and conceding on only four occasions.
Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City ensured they joined their Premier League rivals in the mix with top-eight finishes, along with Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Sporting.
In two days’ time, all eyes will be on UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, for the eagerly anticipated draw, where the eight winners of the two-legged play-offs – including Newcastle United – will fill the remaining last-16 spots.
Friday’s draw will allocate the respective pathways for the teams still in the hunt, meaning all 16 hopefuls will know their potential opposition in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
As one of the two top seeds, Arsenal are set to be paired with one of Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen or Atalanta in the next round.
Regardless of who is plucked from the hat, the Gunners know they will be backed as the overwhelming favourites to progress given their outstanding form both in Europe and domestically.
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Arsenal FC v FC Kairat Almaty - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD8
The Gunners sailed through with a perfect record in the league phase (Picture: Getty)
Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal - Premier League
Arteta’s men will face Olympiakos, Dortmund, Leverkusen or Atalanta in the next round (Picture: Getty)
But when rating the chances of all six English clubs, Deeney was unable to separate Arsenal and Manchester City given the latter’s recent success the competition under Pep Guardiola.
‘I’ve gone with Arsenal and Manchester City [as favourites], both 30 per cent each,’ the ex-Watford captain explained on CBS Sports.
‘I think Arsenal have got the best team and the best squad but there’s that unknown, we’re not sure in the Champions League. They’ve never won it in their history.
‘Manchester City have won it in their history, they are coming into a phase where it’s starting to fit right, they’ve got Gianluigi Donnarumma there, they won it last year, obviously they’ve got Erling Haaland for the goals… it feels a bit different. So I can’t really split Arsenal and Manchester City.’
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Deeney has given Spurs a 0 per cent chance of winning the Champions League (Picture: CBS)
Turning his attentions to Liverpool, Deeney pointed out how the possible return of Alexander Isak could provide a welcome boost should Arne Slot’s men progress into the latter stages.
The former Watford striker is less confident about Chelsea and Newcastle’s hopes, though, giving the two teams a 10 per cent chance of lifting the trophy this year.
‘I’m always going to give Liverpool a chance because of the history that they’ve had as a club in this competition. And they’ve obviously got players coming back,’ Deeney went on.
Newcastle United FC v Qarabag FK - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Knockout Play-off Second Leg
Newcastle swept aside Qarabag to book their place in the last 16 (Picture: Getty)
‘If Liverpool are to progress through, they could have the likes of Alexander Isak back on the bench.
‘I’m giving Chelsea 10 per cent just because they’ve won the Club World Cup, they won the Europa Conference League last year, they’ve got such a young and talented team.
‘I’m not sure on the Chelsea manager overall in these competitions because we haven’t seen him yet so I’ll give them a 10 per cent chance.
‘Very similar with Newcastle because of their ability to be strong, organised, so good from set-pieces and they get to tweak their team depending on who they play over the two legs.’
Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal - Premier League
Spurs will face one of Atleti, Galatasaray or Juve in the last 16 (Picture: Getty)
Thomas Frank oversaw an impressive group-stage campaign in charge of Tottenham, steering the club to five victories and just one defeat to secure a fourth-place finish.
However, Spurs find themselves in disarray following a wretched run of domestic results which ultimately led to Frank’s dismissal, with Igor Tudor taking over the reins on an interim basis.
Given their plight, Deeney believes it would go down as one of the biggest shocks in the history of the competition should the north London outfit somehow get their hands on the trophy.
‘Tottenham Hotspur have about as much chance of winning as me playing again. Impossible,’ he said.
‘They don’t have a good team, we’re not sure how the manager is, they’ve got no confidence through the team, they’ve got 13 fit players. It’s not 0 per cent but it’s as close as it could be.’
Celebrations Continue In Paris Following Paris Saint-Germain's UEFA Champions League Final 2025 Win
PSG are the defending champions after finally ending their wait for the coveted prize last season (Picture: Getty)
How to watch the Champions League draw on TV and live stream
The draw for the next round of the Champions League takes place on Friday February 27 at 11am UK time.
It will be available to watch on TNT Sports 1 and free of charge on the TNT Sports YouTube channel.
Who can the Premier League teams play?
Arsenal
Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen or Atalanta
Chelsea
Newcastle, Monaco or PSG
Liverpool
Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray or Juventus
Man City
Bodo/Glimt, Real Madrid or Benfica
Tottenham
Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray or Juventus
Newcastle
Chelsea or Barcelona
Who can the other teams play?
Barcelona
Newcastle, Monaco or PSG
Bayern Munich
Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen
Sporting
Bodo/Glimt, Real Madrid or Benfica
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