Joleon Lescott names the ‘worst team’ Man City could genuinely face in the Champions League

Redaction Simon Brett with Srinivas Sadhanand
Published on 2024-03-05 10:00:00

Joleon Lescott, former Manchester City player, has expressed his belief that Arsenal would be the most challenging opponent for the reigning champions in this season’s Champions League. This sentiment was echoed by Jamie Carragher, who also highlighted Arsenal as one of the few teams capable of knocking City out of Europe.

Currently, Manchester City holds a 3-1 lead over Copenhagen after the first leg, while Arsenal is trailing 1-0 against Porto. Despite these results, both teams are playing their second legs at home and are considered favorites to progress to the next round.

Arteta’s side has already proven their ability to defeat Manchester City earlier this season, which has led to speculation that they could pose a threat in Europe as well.

Lescott elaborated on his concerns about facing Arsenal in the Champions League, emphasizing that he would be more nervous about this matchup than facing Real Madrid.

“I’m confident for City to win [the trophy] as long as they avoid Arsenal”, he told TNT Sports.

“I don’t think Arsenal are the best fitted to beat everyone else. I think City’s worst team they could face, would be Arsenal [over two legs]. I would be more nervous facing Arsenal than against Real Madrid.”

Joleon Lescott broke down why he is not as worried from a Manchester City perspective if they faced Real Madrid, as he has admitted to being “more nervous” if they locked horns with Arsenal.

“Now [City] have got over the hurdle of winning it. You could see in the home leg [last season], as soon as Vinicius Jr. realised he wasn’t going to run Kyle Walker, it was deflation in the whole team. That doesn’t happen.”

“There was the realisation that this is going to be a long day. As great as Carlo Ancelotti is and the players are and the club’s prestige in the competition, they’re not used to the way City make you play”, he said.

Lescott concluded, “You have to be super disciplined and the credit you have to give to Pep and the team is you have to be at your best to beat Man City, and even then you may not win. If you are making teams perform at their very best then you have a really good chance of going through and winning.”

Overall, Lescott’s perspective on the potential matchup with Arsenal adds an interesting dynamic to City’s Champions League campaign. Despite the challenges posed by Arsenal, City’s pedigree and experience make them a formidable opponent in the competition.

Read Original article on Manchester City News