Toni Kroos feels that Arsenal’s chances in the Champions League have taken a hit after their recent slip-ups in the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta’s side seems to have steadied themselves, following draws against Brentford and Wolves, with consecutive wins over Tottenham and Chelsea putting them back on track.
The Gunners have a favourable path to the Champions League final this season, which has certainly raised expectations of a deep run in the tournament.
However, when discussing his favourites to lift the trophy, Kroos admitted he remains unconvinced by Arsenal’s chances. Speaking on his podcast “Einfach mal Luppen,” he said:
Kroos not convinced by Arsenal’s Champions League chances
Back in October, Toni Kroos had Arsenal among his early picks for the Champions League, but he doesn’t see it that way anymore.
The former German international says there’s no clear favourite this year, and recent results from Arteta’s side haven’t helped their case.
“So in my opinion, there’s still no team just marching straight through. I think we talked about this back in October – who the Champions League favourites were,” Kroos told Einfach mal Luppen.
“We came to the conclusion that there wasn’t one team that was 100% convincing as the clear favourite. We also said: let’s wait and see a bit more.”
Kroos added: “Now we’ve seen more – who’s really in top form? Back then, Arsenal were probably among the most consistent, but they’ve also dropped points here and there recently, which has allowed City to close the gap again.”
Despite criticism from outside voices like Kroos, Arsenal have reason to be optimistic. They’re perfect through eight matches in Europe this season and have a favourable draw ahead of them.
They’ll meet Bayer Leverkusen in the Round of 16 before facing either Sporting CP or Bodo/Glimt if they advance – a route that looks manageable on paper.
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