"100%": Micah Richards makes Arsenal Champions League claim after Barcelona beat Newcastle

Former Manchester City star Micah Richards has said that Arsenal would ‘batter’ Barcelona if they meet in the Champions League semi-final this season.

The Gunners progressed to the last eight of the elite European competition after a 3-1 aggregate win over Bayer Leverkusen.

Barcelona, on the other hand, cruised to the quarter-final stage with a convincing 8-3 aggregate victory over Newcastle United.

The Blaugrana had a brilliant second half against the Magpies at the Camp Nou, but the game scenario was quite different until then.

Newcastle got behind the Blaugrana’s high defensive line to score twice in the first half, and Richards believes Arsenal would ‘batter them’.

The 37-year-old added that Gabriel Martinelli would ‘100%’ love to play against such a high line and the same goes for Viktor Gyokeres.

He said on The Rest is Football podcast: “Arsenal would beat Barcelona.

“If Barcelona play that high line, then Arsenal would absolutely batter them. If they take it back five yards, Barcelona could absolutely batter Arsenal.

“Martinelli 100% would absolutely love to play against that without doubt.

“Even Gyokeres, he’s not the quickest, but he’s a strong runner, all his goals before at Sporting, that’s what he used to do, so I think if they play a high line against Arsenal, Arsenal would absolutely batter them.”

Arsenal have been excellent in Europe throughout the season. They had an off-night against Leverkusen in the first leg of the round of 16 tie (1-1 draw), but made amends with a convincing 2-0 home victory over the German outfit.

The Gunners now face Sporting CP in a double-legged quarter-final. The London giants can’t be complacent against the Portuguese champions and will have to work hard to reach the last four of the competition.

Similarly, Barcelona don’t face a cakewalk by any stretch of the imagination. Atletico Madrid recently beat them 4-3 in a double-legged Copa del Rey semi-final. They had a 4-0 lead at home before suffering a 3-0 loss on the road.

Diego Simeone’s side are not an easy opponent to face, and the Blaugrana must earn the right to reach the semi-final. If Arsenal and Barcelona were to meet, it could be an entertaining affair, with the focus on the defences.

The Gunners have shown that they can play free-flowing football in Europe without the prospect of facing low-block defences like in the Premier League. Barcelona probably have a better attack, but Arsenal are undoubtedly the best defensive outfit.

There have been visible signs of vulnerability in the Blaugrana’s backline, which the Gunners could exploit. For now, both teams have much work to do before a potential Champions League semi-final meeting.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

The post "100%": Micah Richards makes Arsenal Champions League claim after Barcelona beat Newcastle first appeared on ArsenalNews.co.uk.