{"id":485233,"date":"2026-03-20T04:37:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T04:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/485233\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T04:37:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T04:37:10","slug":"micah-richards-claims-arsenal-would-absolutely-batter-potential-champions-league-opponent-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/485233\/","title":{"rendered":"Micah Richards claims Arsenal would ‘absolutely batter’ potential Champions League opponent | Football"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\tMicah Richards claims Arsenal would expose Barcelona\u2019s high defensive line (The Rest Is Football)<\/p>\n

Micah Richards<\/a> believes Arsenal<\/a> would \u2018batter\u2019 Barcelona<\/a> if they met in the Champions League<\/a> semi-final.<\/p>\n

Mikel Arteta\u2019s side secured their place in the Champions League quarter-final with a 2-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday night and they will now face Sporting CP.<\/p>\n

If Arsenal beat the Portuguese side, they will then play either Barcelona or Atletico Madrid for a place in the Champions League final on May 30.<\/p>\n

Barcelona produced a brilliant second-half display to seal a 7-2 win against Newcastle United this week but Richards claims the La Liga leaders would be convincingly beaten by Arsenal if they played the same high defensive line.<\/p>\n

Richards also believes Arsenal \u2018would not lose sleep\u2019 if they were beaten by Manchester City in Sunday\u2019s Carabao Cup final.<\/p>\n

\u2018Arsenal are not going to approach the game [the Carabao Cup<\/a> final] and play a second-string team, not at all,\u2019 Richards told The Rest Is Football<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Arsenal
\n\t\tArsenal will play Sporting CP in the Champions League quarter-final (Getty)<\/p>\n

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Sign up here<\/a>, it’s an open goal.<\/p>\n

\u2018When you look at the Premier League<\/a>, Man City<\/a> have been off, we\u2019ve talked about Chelsea<\/a> and Liverpool, Man United are coming back stronger now, this is an opportunity for them [Arsenal] to capitalise on two big trophies.<\/p>\n

\u2018I look at the Champions League and the way Arsenal play defensively, I said it a couple of weeks ago, they can win it, they would be one of my favourites, they have a better chance to win that because defensively and they always nick a goal.<\/p>\n

\u2018With the Premier League, I thought it would be closer now and I thought it would go to the Man City game but they\u2019ve got the little edge on that now.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\tThe Champions League quarter-final draw (UEFA)<\/p>\n

\u2018If you\u2019re looking at Arsenal\u2019s potential route to the Champions League final you\u2019d take that all day and then you\u2019re thinking you\u2019ve got that little buffer in the Premier League, I\u2019d be look at the League Cup thinking it\u2019s a trophy but it\u2019s not the biggest trophy. If they were to lose that, I wouldn\u2019t be losing sleep over it because they are in a perfect position now to win two humungous trophies.<\/p>\n

\u2018Arsenal would beat Barcelona. If Barcelona play that high line then Arsenal would absolutely batter them.<\/p>\n

\u2018If they take it back five yards, Barcelona could absolutely batter Arsenal.<\/p>\n

\u2018Martinelli, 100 per cent, would absolutely love to play against that without doubt. Even Gyokeres, he\u2019s not the quickest but he\u2019s a strong runner, all his goals before at Sporting, that\u2019s what he used to do, so I think if they play a high line against Arsenal, Arsenal would absolutely batter them.\u2019<\/p>\n

For more stories like this,\u00a0check our sport page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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