Arsene Wenger has claimed that Arsenal have their best chance of winning the Champions League this term in potentially his final season in charge.
The 67-year-old, whose current deal at the Emirates expires in the summer, said he believes that UEFA's flagship club competition is more open than ever - a bold statement that is sure to raise many an eyebrow.
However, with the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich potentially only finishing as runners-up in their respective groups, Wenger is of the opinion that his Gunners side may have their best shot of progressing to the latter stages of the tournament and, with it, the possibility of being crowed champions of Europe.
He told the Daily Telegraph: I think we are ready to compete [for the title]. I feel that [the English clubs are closer again]. We saw Man City winning against Barcelona. We have an opportunity to show it against Paris Saint-Germain.
I watched Real Madrid against Atletico Madrid on Saturday and I was impressed by them. They look at the moment to be the most dangerous side.�
Remarkably, Arsenal have bowed out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage in each of the past six seasons but, with the North London outfit requiring a victory over Paris St-Germain to seal their passage to the knock out rounds as group leaders, Wenger is eyeing a longer run in the competition this season.
Despite wanting to compete for as long as possible in Europe, however, Wenger rebuffed questions over how serious Arsenal would be taking the Premier League in their bid to win an inaugural Champions League trophy.
He continued: Before, the Champions League was the game you had to prepare. Today, the Premier League game is the game you have to prepare. Let's not choose.
I am after the Premier League as well, believe me. Let's finish first in the group and at least we have the advantage to play the second game at home when hopefully we will be injury free and have everyone available.�
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is speaking to the media ahead of #arspsg
Read what he has to say here: https://t.co/NKoIBjjOkR pic.twitter.com/ba4ZiWIYcO
Arsenal head into their match with PSG after two consecutive draws either side of the international break in domestic fixtures, and were lucky to secure a point against rivals Manchester United in Saturday's crunch clash at Old Trafford.
Wenger now wants his charges to go out and put in a performance against the Ligue 1 champions to make other sides sit up and take notice.
He added: We have been a bit stuttering recently. We played Tottenham; we were 1-0 up and didn't win the game, so we need to show that we can do that. When you play at home against a big team, you want to win. It sends a statement out.�
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