Micah Richards believes the Champions a League trophy will be heading back to a Premier League club this season.
The six English clubs that qualified for the Champions League are all still in with a chance of winning Europe’s premier club competition.
Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City all finished in the top-eight of the league phase, advancing straight into the knockout stages.
Newcastle United joined them domestic rivals in the last-16 with an emphatic play-off win over Qarabag.
Premier League leaders Arsenal, who topped the Champions League group phase, face German side Bayer Leverkusen for a place in the quarter-finals.
Their title rivals Manchester City, meanwhile, take on Real Madrid, the most successful team in European football history, in a blockbuster showdown.
Club World Cup holders Chelsea meet the Champions League holders PSG while reigning Premier League champions Liverpool face Turkish giants Galatasaray.
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Newcastle will look to cause an upset against La Liga leaders Barcelona while Premier League relegation-battlers Tottenham face Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid.
Arsenal have yet to win the Champions League but Richards believes that will be rectified by Mikel Arteta’s side over the next two months.
Discussing Arsenal, who are still in all four competitions, Richards said on The Rest is Football podcast: ‘All I would say – and I don’t want to be the negative one – is they haven’t won anything just yet.
Champions League last-16 draw
Galatasaray vs Liverpool
Newcastle United vs Barcelona
Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham
Atalanta vs Bayern Munich
Bayer Leverkusen vs Arsenal
PSG vs Chelsea
Bodo-Glimt vs Sporting
Real Madrid vs Manchester City
‘In terms of results they’ve been pretty faultless but in terms of style of play, they score a lot of set-pieces and own goals. I don’t think it’s wrong for people to pick that out but I also don’t think it’s right for people to be negative and say Arsenal don’t play good football.
‘The objective at the end of the season is to win the league, who cares how you get over the line?
‘They’re top of the Premier League and I think Arsenal are the favourites for the Champions League because I think it will suit them more than the domestic games.
‘In the Champions League the games might get a little bit more stretched whereas in the Premier League everyone is going to that low block against them.
‘I thought Man City would have the capabilities to break teams down more than Arsenal in the Premier League but it’s not working out like that.
‘Arsenal are getting some criticism but if they win the league, who cares how they do it? The objective is to win trophies and it’s as simple as that.’
Former England star Joe Cole has also backed Arsenal to lift the Champions League trophy despite some unconvincing performances in the Premier League.
The Gunners drew two league games in a row last month before sealing narrow wins over Chelsea and Brighton. Arsenal progressed in the FA Cup on Saturday but only beat League One strugglers Mansfield Town by one goal.
Arteta’s side appear to be in the weaker half of the Champions League draw and Cole believes that gives Arsenal the edge to win the competition for the first time.
‘Every team that has won it for the last ten years is on one side: Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, so it has opened up for Arsenal,’ he said on The Dressing Room Podcast.
‘I think, personally, it’s going to be an Arsenal versus Manchester City final. I think it will be an epic.
‘I look at it, my only bet would be Arsenal going to the final. I’m not sure on the other side, with Manchester City you still don’t know because there’s too many good teams.
‘Arsenal get to the final. They’re going to beat Bayer Leverkusen, they ain’t no cop [good], Sporting or Bodo/Glimt…
‘In summery, the Champions League draw, they’ve opened it up, someone has rolled it across the goal for Arsenal. They cannot blow it… or can they?
‘Arsenal fans, book your tickets for Budapest, in my opinion.’
After travelling to Germany on Wednesday to face Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie, Arsenal return to Premier League action at the weekend against Everton.
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