Thierry Henry shares Champions League predictions as Arsenal agreement reached
Arsenal made a statement of intent in the Champions League on Tuesday night by thrashing Atletico Madrid 4-0 and have now been tipped as genuine contenders to win the competition
Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher both believe that Arsenal are among the contenders to go all the way in the Champions League following their impressive 4-0 demolition of Atletico Madrid.
The Gunners were rampant on Tuesday night against the former Spanish champions, who have become renowned for being defensively solid under Diego Simeone. Goals from Gabriel, Gabriel Martinelli and a quickfire brace from Viktor Gyokeres capped a fine night for Arsenal, who also extended their lead at the Premier League summit this past weekend.
With Arsenal seeking a first domestic title in more than 20 years and looking to better last year's semi-final finish in the Champions League, big things are expected of Mikel Arteta's men after they spent £250million on new talent to bolster their squad this summer.
Henry played in the Arsenal team that reached the Champions League final back in 2006 and said on CBS' coverage on Tuesday night that he had his old club alongside Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain as favourites. Kate Scott then asked Carragher if he was as optimistic about Arsenal's chances of success.
"Right now I think Arsenal and Bayern are the two most impressive teams I’ve seen when you look at their performances domestically and what they’re doing in the Champions League," Carragher replied.
"I’ve said before on this show that I’ve never had Arsenal down as a Champions League club. I know that might sound obvious because they’ve never won it before but I’ve always thought there’s something about them that doesn’t connect, they’ve never really gone close.
"Thierry’s [Arsenal] team was the best team I ever played against in the Premier League and even that team didn’t come close enough to winning the Champions League. It wasn’t that team that got to the Champions League final."
Arsenal have yet to concede a single goal in the Champions League so far this term and are even on course to beat the record for fewest goals conceded in a Premier League season (15) set by Chelsea under Jose Mourinho back in the 2004-05 campaign.
Carragher referenced his own experiences with Liverpool and how their defence helped them to Champions League final in the same year, continuing: "I do look at this team now and see how strong they are defensively. My Liverpool team that won the Champions League were not a great team attacking-wise but we were strong defensively.
"That always gives you a chance, especially when you get to the knockout stages and the two-legged ties. If you’re strong defensively you’ve always got a chance.
"So, yeah, I see Arsenal as one of the four or five teams that can win this competition."
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.