Patrick Vieira makes prediction for Arsenal’s Champions League showdown against PSG
Patrick Vieira has rated Arsenal’s chances of causing an upset and beating Paris Saint-Germain (Picture: Getty) Patrick Vieira is adamant Arsenal are capable of causing an upset when they face Paris Saint-Germain in Wednesday night’s Champions League semi-final second leg. The Gunners were stunned last week at the Emirates when Ousmane Dembele’s early goal silenced the crowd and set the tone for a largely dominant performance. Mikel Arteta’s men now face a mountain to climb if they to overturn the deficit and reach what would be only the second Champions League final in the club’s history. Arsenal’s form heading to Parc des Princes is hardly likely to inspire confidence given they have won just one of their last five Premier League games and that was against already relegated Ipswich Town. Saturday’s shock home defeat against Bournemouth was hardly ideal preparation but Vieira maintains his old club are still capable of mounting a successful salvage operation. Get personalised updates on Arsenal everyday Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we’ll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. How Arsenal can beat Paris Saint-Germain PSG take a one-goal lead back to Paris (Picture: Getty) ‘Honestly, I strongly believe that they can come back. And I’m 100 per cent sure that the group of players and the manager know that they can come back, there’s no doubt about it, the former Arsenal captain told The Telegraph. ‘They will have to play the perfect game away from home. They did it before and they have a quality of players who can do it. ‘They still have a good chance. They are still alive.’ If Arsenal are to produce an unlikely comeback, Declan Rice will almost certainly be to the fore given his form since the turn of the year. After, by his own admission, a slow to the season, the England international has been a tour de force in recent weeks and was the man of the match in both legs of the quarter final victory against Real Madrid. Arteta’s decision to move Rice into a more attacking position represented a gamble at first, but the 26-year-old has grown into his new role to such an extent that his marauding style has drawn comparisons with Vieira who dominated Arsenal’s midfield for nearly a decade. Is Declan Rice the new Patrick Vieira? Arsenal have it all to do in the second leg (Picture: Getty Images) ‘I don’t like to make comparisons, because I think we are all different with our strengths and weaknesses,’ Vieira added. ‘But I think first is all the credit with the manager, with Mikel [Arteta], because I think from Declan being a holding midfielder, he went a little bit more as the eight. ‘I think he saw the physical side of him doing the box-to-box and to be the player who can get to the box, in with the second line, and then can score goals. ‘I think the change of position is quite important, so credit to Mikel for that. And then, of course, he is the player that I love watching. ‘I love his spirit. I love his competitiveness. I like the fact that he’s always going forward and he is a winner. ‘I think this position, No 8, suits him much better, because previously you can say ‘OK, he may play with the handbrake’. ‘But playing as a No 8 and having this will to go to the box and score goals. I think this is something that suits his style of play.’
Patrick Vieira is adamant Arsenal are capable of causing an upset when they face Paris Saint-Germain in Wednesday night’s Champions League semi-final second leg.
The Gunners were stunned last week at the Emirates when Ousmane Dembele’s early goal silenced the crowd and set the tone for a largely dominant performance.
Mikel Arteta’s men now face a mountain to climb if they to overturn the deficit and reach what would be only the second Champions League final in the club’s history.
Arsenal’s form heading to Parc des Princes is hardly likely to inspire confidence given they have won just one of their last five Premier League games and that was against already relegated Ipswich Town.
Saturday’s shock home defeat against Bournemouth was hardly ideal preparation but Vieira maintains his old club are still capable of mounting a successful salvage operation.
Get personalised updates on Arsenal everyday
Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we’ll send you so we can get football news tailored to you.
How Arsenal can beat Paris Saint-Germain
‘Honestly, I strongly believe that they can come back. And I’m 100 per cent sure that the group of players and the manager know that they can come back, there’s no doubt about it, the former Arsenal captain told The Telegraph.
‘They will have to play the perfect game away from home. They did it before and they have a quality of players who can do it.
‘They still have a good chance. They are still alive.’
If Arsenal are to produce an unlikely comeback, Declan Rice will almost certainly be to the fore given his form since the turn of the year.
After, by his own admission, a slow to the season, the England international has been a tour de force in recent weeks and was the man of the match in both legs of the quarter final victory against Real Madrid.
Arteta’s decision to move Rice into a more attacking position represented a gamble at first, but the 26-year-old has grown into his new role to such an extent that his marauding style has drawn comparisons with Vieira who dominated Arsenal’s midfield for nearly a decade.
Is Declan Rice the new Patrick Vieira?
‘I don’t like to make comparisons, because I think we are all different with our strengths and weaknesses,’ Vieira added.
‘But I think first is all the credit with the manager, with Mikel [Arteta], because I think from Declan being a holding midfielder, he went a little bit more as the eight.
‘I think he saw the physical side of him doing the box-to-box and to be the player who can get to the box, in with the second line, and then can score goals.
‘I think the change of position is quite important, so credit to Mikel for that. And then, of course, he is the player that I love watching.
‘I love his spirit. I love his competitiveness. I like the fact that he’s always going forward and he is a winner.
‘I think this position, No 8, suits him much better, because previously you can say ‘OK, he may play with the handbrake’.
‘But playing as a No 8 and having this will to go to the box and score goals. I think this is something that suits his style of play.’
