Gary Lineker Reveals the One Team He Believes Can Stop Arsenal From Winning the Champions League
Arsenal are widely regarded as one of the leading contenders for the 2026/27 Champions League, but Gary Lineker believes another European giant has what it takes to lift the trophy.
The Gunners reached the final last season and will be determined to go one step further this campaign after ending their long wait for a Premier League title.
However, Lineker has overlooked both Arsenal and reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain when making his prediction for this season’s winner.
Instead, the former England striker has backed Barcelona to claim European football’s biggest prize.
Barcelona have enjoyed an impressive rise under Hansi Flick, winning back-to-back La Liga titles and completing a domestic treble last season. They have also reached the Champions League semi-finals in each of the previous two campaigns.
Lineker believes the Catalan giants now have the missing ingredient needed to finally reach the final and win the competition.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker admitted Arsenal will be among the favourites but questioned whether they possess enough world-class stars compared with Europe’s biggest clubs.
He particularly highlighted Barcelona’s signing of Rodri for around £65 million, believing the midfielder could make a huge difference in the crucial central position.
Lineker said Barcelona could be “quite tasty” and extremely difficult to beat now that Rodri has joined their squad.
Arsenal’s lack of attacking reinforcements could also become a concern. Mikel Arteta reportedly wanted to bring in Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez during the summer, but neither deal materialised.
With the Gunners still relying heavily on their defence in difficult matches, Lineker’s prediction suggests Barcelona could be the team standing between Arsenal and Champions League glory.
