Nicolas Anelka has predicted that Paris Saint-Germain will beat Arsenal in the battle of his former clubs tonight.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger
The Gunners face PSG tonight in the first round of the Champions League group stage, and Anelka, who spent two spells at PSG in between a two-year stint at Highbury, believes ‘the advantage goes to Paris when they are playing at home’.
The 37-year-old Frenchman, who spent two spells at PSG in between a two-year stint at Highbury, has shirked any allegiance but confirmed that he believes ‘Paris will win the first leg’.
Speaking with PSG’s official website, Anelka said “It will be an exceptional match because neither Arsenal nor PSG are sides who sit back and defend. Nonetheless, I think Paris will win the first leg. They will need to really switch on after their recent results.”
The French champions approach this game having collected just one point from their previous two league games, against Monaco and Saint-Etienne, and currently occupy seventh place in Ligue 1.
Arsenal endured a similarly bumpy start and occupy an identical position in the Premier League, but look to have restored confidence with successive wins against Watford and Southampton.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger during training
“It will be a very tough match for PSG but also for Arsenal,” he continued. “The English play well on the ball – Arsene Wenger’s DNA is still plain to see in their play. They always make it out of the group stage. It will be these two sides fighting it out for top spot.”
The former French striker, who enjoyed successful periods in England with Bolton Wanderers and Chelsea, also claimed that PSG have ‘the potential to win the competition’, although concedes that they will need some luck.
“Last season Paris could have won it,” Anelka continued. “I really saw them making it to the final but unfortunately it didn’t work out that way. You can’t predict what will happen in the Champions League.”
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