Rio Ferdinand has claimed that Manchester City would not want to face Arsenal in the Champions League this season.
Even Joleon Lescott, who played for City made the same claim, describing Mikel Arteta’s side as the “worst team” they could go toe-to-toe with in Europe’s elite competition.
Manchester City and Arsenal are yet to have been drawn against each other in the Champions League.
Rio Ferdinand says Manchester City “won’t want” to face Arsenal in the Champions League
Pep Guardiola’s men have beaten the Gunners four out of the last five times they have faced them in the Premier League.
However, it is key to state that the North London giants may be the best versions of themselves since they last won the league in 2004 and perhaps even superior to their team last season.
It is perhaps as a result that Rio Ferdinand believes Manchester City would want to avoid a clash with Arsenal in the Champions League.
“If they go through, which I think they will against Porto, I don’t think there is any team that really wants them. Even Man City, they won’t want them”, he said on TNT Sports.
“There are easier tests out there than Arsenal. Arsenal are a definite threat for any team in this tournament.”
An indicator of how the clash could go is when Manchester City host Mikel Arteta’s side at the Etihad Stadium
Whether Rio Ferdinand has a point could depend on how Manchester City fare against Arsenal after they travel to Anfield to lock horns with Liverpool.
While the contest being at home would mean that City would be favoured to get the better of Arsenal, it would also be naïve to count the visitors out at the Etihad Stadium.
If the Sky Blues batter Arteta and Co. as they did in their 4-1 victory last season, a potential meeting in the Champions League would be a nightmare for them and a dream scenario for the reigning champions.
However, if Arsenal manage to get a result at the Etihad Stadium, a tie in the future would make for quite an intriguing watch.
As things stand, however, City would be tipped to be the favourites to beat them, whether it is in the league or Europe, mainly due to how favourable their recent record is against the team from the English capital.
