Ray Parlour makes honest Arsenal claim on Champions League race after PSG 5-4 Bayern Munich | OneFootball

Ray Parlour has sent a warning to Arsenal about their Champions League hopes after watching Paris Saint-Germain vs Bayern Munich.

Arsenal have the welcome distraction of a Champions League semi-final first leg against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.

The Gunners have looked edgy in the Premier League and risk missing out on the title to arch-rivals Manchester City, so Mikel Arteta’s side will likely be pleased to switch their focus to the Champions League for a little bit.

We have two contrasting semi-final ties in the Champions League, with Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid likely to be a real fight. PSG vs Bayern Munich, meanwhile, was a thrilling all-attack encounter, with Tuesday’s first leg finishing 5-4.

When reflecting on this game, Parlour has warned Arsenal that they will have to be at their maximum to beat PSG or Bayern Munich in the final.

“Olise was different class. Do you know another player who probably Liverpool fans will be looking at and saying, ‘Why didn’t we keep him?’… Luis Diaz, he was superb on that left-hand side for Bayern going forward,” Parlour said on talkSPORT.

“You look at it now and I’m sure Atletico Madrid and Arsenal will be looking at that and thinking, ‘Wait a minute, if we get them in the final then one of us is going to have to be at our best if we’re going to beat Bayern Munich or PSG’.”

Parlour has also explained why he thinks PSG will be “kicking themselves” after Tuesday night’s first leg.

He added: “PSG will be kicking themselves a little bit. To get 5-2 up, you’d be thinking, ‘Come on, let’s just try and slow it down a little bit, keep possession’, but credit to Bayern because they just kept going.

“Bayern had a couple of chances at the end to get the equaliser as well, but the game itself, the quality of the game, was magnificent, it really was.”

Parlour makes Atletico Madrid-Arsenal prediction

Parlour has also predicted the first leg between Arsenal and Atletico Madrid, while PSG and Bayern Munich are the “two best sides” in the competition.

“As I’ve said before, we have go the best league, there’s no doubt about the Premier League,’ he continued.

“But the two best sides, if you look at those two going forward, it’s very hard to deal with the forward, attacking ability that they’ve both got.

“It’ll be interesting to see how tonight’s game goes. It’ll be 0-0 tonight! It will be a little bit tighter!

“It was a tight game last night in quality of goals, but I can’t see it being nine goals tonight if I’m being honest with you.”

He continued: “You always look at the importance of the game because you can get a really top-class game with loads of goals, end-to-end stuff, when you’re not playing for anything,’ the three-time Premier League winner went on.

“But these two teams last night were playing for the final of the Champions League and to put on a show like that… it would have been an amazing game to be in.

“If I was in that stadium, the atmosphere sounded like it was unbelievable so that’s one thing you get from Paris.

“When you go to Bayern Munich it will be exactly the same so it should be a cracking second leg.”