Luis Enrique has revealed what he’s thinking ahead of the Champions League semi-finals, with the Paris Saint-Germain boss claiming that his team is better than the likes of Arsenal and Bayern Munich.
The Gunners visit Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their last-four tie on Wednesday night, while PSG entertain Bayern at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday in the round’s show-stopper event.
Arsenal were dubbed favourites for the Champions League a few months back, although Mikel Arteta’s side’s recent struggles have prompted the statistical models and bookmakers to rethink this assessment. Despite winning the league phase, Arsenal aren’t being tipped to claim this major honour, with Bayern now considered favourites to go all the way and lift the trophy in Budapest in May.
Enrique isn’t buying this. The Spaniard has claimed that there is ‘no team better’ than his PSG side, ahead of the clash with Bayern on Tuesday.
The tactician claimed that while Arsenal have enjoyed a ‘great season’, his team and Bayern are the best two outfits in Europe.
🚨❤️💙 Luis Enrique: “There is no team that is better than us. I already said this after losing the top 8”.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 27, 2026
“These are the two best teams in Europe even if Arsenal also had a great season. In terms of consistency, Bayern is a bit ahead of us because they only lost two matches”. pic.twitter.com/zOWnW9yJnG
“There is no team that is better than us,” he said in his press conference on Monday.
“I already said this after losing the top 8. These are the two best teams in Europe, even if Arsenal also had a great season.
“In terms of consistency, Bayern is a bit ahead of us because they only lost two matches.”
Is Luis Enrique right about Arsenal being worse than PSG and Bayern Munich?
There’s no doubting that Arsenal are in a bit of a rut. The Gunners are struggling to create chances, and while they still look resolute defensively, they don’t look capable of going on an imperious run that leads them to Premier League and Champions League glory.
That said, to definitively write Arteta’s side off and declare PSG and Bayern as better teams than them would be wrong. Arsenal beat Vincent Kompany’s side comfortably back in November, outplaying a team who were unbeaten at that point in the season.
Bayern may be one of the most free-flowing attacking sides in Europe, but every time they’ve played against competent opposition, they’ve looked vulnerable defensively. Real Madrid, Chelsea and Arsenal all put up significant expected goals numbers against Kompany’s outfit.
Meanwhile, PSG may be rounding into form for the run-in, but things haven’t been smooth-sailing for the French giants in Ligue 1. Chelsea gave Enrique’s side a good game for a while before a few late goals at the Parc des Princes saw Liam Rosenior’s team off.
Thus, there are clearly deficiencies in both Bayern and PSG’s games, too. Micah Richards believes Arsenal could beat either in a one-off match, and the pundit is probably right.
