Manchester United icon, Gary Neville has forecast that Paris Saint-Germain will remain the favorites to clinch the Champions League title, even after Arsenal secured the Premier League trophy on Sunday.
The Gunners concluded their 22-year wait to be recognized as champions of England by narrowly surpassing Manchester City for the title.
With the league title confirmed following City’s draw against Bournemouth last Tuesday, Mikel Arteta opted to rest several key players for the season’s final match on Sunday against Crystal Palace.
Arsenal still emerged victorious with a 2-1 scoreline as they celebrated their triumph at Selhurst Park. They are now preparing for the Champions League final against PSG on Saturday, May 30.
Neville is of the opinion that the north London side will gain an advantage from the rest their players enjoyed during the Premier League. Nevertheless, he believes it will be a significant challenge for them to overcome PSG.
The English pundit highlighted that PSG is led by an obsessive manager like Luis Enrique, which contributes to their status as serial winners. Neville also characterized the Ligue 1 champions as a team that possesses a relentless drive to secure victory.
During ‘The Gary Neville Podcast’, he said, “It’s going to be tough for them, I’ll be honest with you, because I think that PSG are on a different level. They have what I refer to as one of those obsessive – and I mean this as a compliment – maniac-type managers who are just winners, serial winners.
“They have that ruthless mentality within them, that they will do anything to win, and they consistently achieve victory. Luis Enrique is arguably the greatest manager in the world at this moment.”
Arsenal is participating in only their second Champions League final, having previously lost their first to Barcelona in 2006.