Only PSG Can Stop Arsenal's Champions League Dream, Says Murphy; Three Key Players Sidelined for Inter Clash

Arsenal have been tipped to make a serious Champions League charge this term, though one former Liverpool midfielder reckons there's a particular obstacle standing between them and glory.

The Gunners are making all the right noises on multiple fronts. They sit seven points clear atop the Premier League, they're into the Carabao Cup semi-finals, and they've won all six of their Champions League group-stage matches. By any measure, it's been a campaign brimming with potential.

Tuesday night brings them to the San Siro to face Inter Milan, though Mikel Arteta will be without three players. The Arsenal boss has confirmed that Piero Hincapie, Riccardo Calafiori and Max Dowman are all sidelined through injury.

Danny Murphy, the former Liverpool midfielder, has nonetheless identified Arsenal as genuine contenders for European honours. Speaking to Boyle Sports, he explained his reasoning: "Watching them play as regularly as I have, there's no reason for them to not have the belief that they can win it. They've destroyed Bayern Munich, one of the other strong teams in the tournament. They're playing better than anyone else in the Premier League."

Murphy's caveat? Paris Saint-Germain. Whilst he's discounted the Spanish elite as not matching their historical standards—citing Liverpool's recent demolition of Real Madrid and Chelsea's victory over Barcelona—PSG present a different proposition entirely.

"The only one that concerns me is PSG," Murphy continued. "I think once they get everyone fit, similar to last season, they could have a really strong second half. When PSG are at it and playing at their best, that's a tough challenge for anyone. So they would probably be the other joint favourites with Arsenal at the moment because of their experience and because they won it last year."

Beyond the European stage, Murphy believes Arsenal should harbour genuine ambitions of a domestic double. "But you have to reach for the stars," he argued. "When you're at a big club, you're aiming to win it all."

Drawing on his own experience, Murphy recalled: "I had an experience where we won a treble at Liverpool, not the 'real' treble, but there was still a belief in the camp that every time we went on the pitch, we could beat anybody. Whether it be Barcelona in the semi-final or whoever, we truly believed it."

He sees that same mentality at the Emirates. "I think Arsenal have that belief now. They look like a confident group, they don't look fearful. I know there was a bit of criticism after the Liverpool game, but they had played a lot of games, there was some fatigue, and Liverpool played well. Liverpool have top-class players and kept the ball really well to stop Arsenal from getting on top of them. But overall, I think they should be confident. They should have real belief that they can win both."