Matchday 1 of the UEFA Champions League is in the books, with Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain being the clubs that took three points. The Gunners secured a 4-0 win over PSV Eindhoven; meanwhile, PSG recorded a 2-0 victory against Borussia Dortmund.
The two clubs are off to a good start, and ESPN FC’s Julien Laurens was asked which of these two sides will make it further in the Champions League. Laurens went back and forth on his answer but went with the Premier League for one key reason.
“They both look good, very good on Matchday 1 against teams that are nothing special either,” Laurens said on ESPN FC. “I don’t know. I still think because this is Luis Enrique’s first season when [Mikel] Arteta had already worked with his squad, the squad is further from where Luis Enrique wants the PSG squad to be, which is normal. He’s only been there like five games in the [Premier] League and one in the Champions League.
“So maybe Arsenal. But again, I think Arsenal playing in the [Premier] League and in the Champions League would be more difficult than PSG playing in Ligue 1 and in the Champions League, for example, because Ligue 1 is easier for them than the Premier League is for Arsenal. So it’s tricky. I would love a PSG-Arsenal final; let’s put it that way.”
It will be interesting to see how these two clubs play the rest of the group stage with five matchdays left. Arsenal could secure three points on Matchday 2, as they’ll face a struggling RC Lens squad. Meanwhile, PSG will travel to St. James’ Park to face Newcastle United.
A win would put either side in the driver’s seat to win the group and advance to the knockout stage.
