Arsenal have a great chance of winning their first Champions League title, says Danny Murphy (Picture: Getty)
Danny Murphy says Arsenal are ‘probably the favourites’ to win this year’s Champions League due to the side of the draw they find themselves on and their defensive solidity.
Arsenal safely secured their spot in the quarter-finals of the competition after coming through a tough last-16 tie with Bayer Leverkusen to win 3-1 on aggregate.
The Gunners had work to do after being held to a 1-1 draw in the first leg, but a pair of wondrous strikes from Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice either side of half-time eased any nerves amongst the Emirates crowd.
Mikel Arteta’s men, the only undefeated team in this year’s competition, will do battle with Sporting in the next round after the Portuguese champions staged a stunning comeback to see off Bodo/Glimt.
Should they beat Sporting, the Premier League leaders would then come up against one of Barcelona, Newcastle, Atletico Madrid or Tottenham for a place in this year’s final at Budapest’s Puskas Arena on May 30.
According to former Liverpool and Spurs midfielder Murphy, Arsenal are fully deserving of where they find themselves this season given the tireless work Arteta’s players put in both in and out of possession.
‘They’ve still had a little wobble at times but they’ve not had anyone who is flying in to put the pressure on. But they’re still so impressive,’ Murphy said on talkSPORT this morning.
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Arsenal FC v Bayer 04 Leverkusen - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg
Arsenal overcame Leverkusen to book their spot in the quarter-finals (Picture: Getty)
Arsenal FC v Bayer 04 Leverkusen - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg
Arteta’s men will lock horns with Sporting in the next round (Picture: Getty)
‘The thing I love about them the most is their mindset in terms of how to defend, they don’t carry anyone defensively. They are so good defensively, even when they’re not playing well.
‘They’re really impressive and that comes from the manager because he won’t have anyone not doing their bit without the ball.
‘They’re the best team without the ball in Europe.’
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Murphy believes this weekend’s Carabao Cup final between Arsenal and Manchester City is an almost impossible one to call and could be decided by a moment of ‘magic’ of ‘madness’.
However, the ex-England international put his neck on the line and named Arsenal as the standout candidates to win what would be their first Champions League title in two months’ time.
‘I think when they play City at Wembley at the weekend, that’s a 50-50,’ Murphy explained.
Arsenal FC v Bayer 04 Leverkusen - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg
Rice was named the Playstation Player of the Match at the Emirates (Picture: Getty)
‘I don’t know how you could say they’re favourites, anyone can win that. A moment of madness, a moment of magic, whatever.
‘The Champions League is different. They probably are favourites because of the side of the draw they’re on, you’d expect them to get to the final.’
Pressed for a prediction ahead of Sunday’s Carabao Cup showpiece, Murphy replied: ‘Arsenal, only because they’re better defensively.
‘If Arsenal win either the Premier League or the Champions League then the season is a success.
‘They don’t have to win both. I know there’s a narrative that they should, they’ve got the squad, they’ve spent this and they’re playing well.
‘If they win either, it’s a success.’
Arsenal FC v Bayer 04 Leverkusen - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg
Eze come on leaps and bounds after a ‘kick up the backside’ from Arteta, says Murphy (Picture: Getty)
Turning his attentions to Eze’s 36th-minute thunderbolt at the Emirates, Murphy praised the ‘brilliant technique’ the midfielder showcased to beat Janis Blaswich from range.
The 2001 UEFA Cup winner has been mightily impressed by Eze’s recent form and thinks a difficult outing at Villa Park back in December may have given him a ‘kick up the backside’.
‘It was beautiful. He strikes the ball so well, he always has,’ Murphy said of Eze’s opener in north London.
‘It was just one of those that falls beautifully. The technique was great but the reason he was able to strike it so well was because he took it at the right height. He’s technically brilliant, Eze.
Arsenal FC v Bayer 04 Leverkusen - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg
The Gunners are the only undefeated team in this year’s competition (Picture: Getty)
‘The Villa game, where Matty Cash kept getting in behind him and they scored and they kept losing him… he was playing on the left and he got ran ragged, Cash was running him back and running him back.
‘Arteta left him out for about four or five games after that and it was a little bit of a kick up the backside I think.
‘He’s much more disciplined without the ball now but also, when you play as a No.10 in that system, defending centrally, there are smaller distances to run and it suits him better.
‘When you play wide, you doing 50 or 60 yard runs and you’ve got to be proactive, not reactive, or you’re done.
‘In the middle of the park, it’s little short, sharp movements and I think Arteta has worked with him on the defensive stuff.
‘He looks like he’s willing to do it, he’s very proactive with his defending now whereas he was very reactive before. I like to see a player develop.’
Are Arsenal favourites to win this year's Champions League?
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