Paul Merson names the one team he wants Arsenal to avoid in Champions League | Football

Arsenal icon Paul Merson has named the one team he wants his former club to avoid playing in the Champions League knockout phase this term.

The Gunners have all-but already sealed their spot in the quarter-finals having beaten PSV Eindhoven 7-1 in their first leg last-16 clash last week.

Arsenal will face either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid in the last eight with the two Spanish sides set for a second leg showdown later tonight.

Should the north Londoners triumph over one of the La Liga teams, they’d be set for a battle with Paris Saint-Germain, Aston Villa or Club Brugge in the Champions League semi-finals.

If Arsenal progress to the Champions League final, they could face Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Inter Milan– who are all on the other side of the draw.

The Gunners have never won the Champions League title before, with the club finishing as runners-up to Barcelona under Arsene Wenger in 2006.

Ahead of tonight’s round of games, Merson has named the only club he doesn’t want Arsenal to face in the Champions League… Real Madrid.

Real Madrid have won the Champions League a record 15 times, clinching last season’s trophy after beating Borussia Dortmund in the 2024 final.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side have a number of world-class players in their squad including English midfielder Jude Bellingham, Brazilian star Vinicius Junior and French striker Kylian Mbappe.

Quizzed on how far Arsenal will go in this year’s Champions League knockout phase, Merson told Sky Sports: ‘I think it depends on who wins out of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.

‘I think if Atletico Madrid win, Arsenal have a bit of a chance. I think that’ll be a tight game, Atletico Madrid don’t blow anybody away – they play a certain style of football.

‘But if they play against Real Madrid, I don’t know if they’re going to be able to live with them with goalscoring over two legs, especially with the players that are out for Arsenal.

‘And I know they won 7-1 the other day, but it was a bit of a Polyfilla result. It covered over the cracks.’

Real Madrid hold a narrow 2-1 lead over Atletico Madrid following the first leg of their last-16 showdown at the Bernabeu last week.

Rodrygo and Brahim Diaz were on the scoresheet in that match, with Real Madrid hoping to get the job done at the Metropolitano Stadium tonight.

Atletico Madrid will be hoping to turn things around themselves and may take inspiration from PSG’s victory over Liverpool on Tuesday night.

PSG were 1-0 down after the first leg but took the second leg to penalties and came out on top in a dramatic shootout to beat the Reds at Anfield.

The French side are likely to face Aston Villa in the quarter-finals, with the English team having a 3-1 lead over Club Brugge from their first leg clash.

MORE: Mikel Arteta accused of ‘disrespecting’ Arsenal star

MORE: Mikel Arteta backs Arsenal to sign former Man City star on free transfer

MORE: The reason Ousmane Dembele took incredible penalty with ‘weaker’ foot against Liverpool