Inter Milan’s on-loan Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji has told Arsenal they are not the best team in Europe – despite their 100 per cent record in the Champions League this season.
Mikel Arteta’s side take on the Italian giants at San Siro on Tuesday night, bidding to extend their winning streak in the competition to seven matches.
Arsenal are the only Champions League side to have tasted victory in all of their matches so far, including a statement 3-1 triumph against Bayern Munich at the Emirates in November.
Akanji: “It’s a great challenge, we need to be tidy, clinical and ruthless”
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— Inter ⭐⭐ (@Inter_en) January 19, 2026
However, Akanji, who is on a season-long loan at Inter from Arsenal’s domestic rivals City, said: “Bayern are the strongest team in Europe right now.
“They play great football, score a lot of goals and concede very few.
“Arsenal are among the best teams in Europe. But for me, they’re not the very best. They are certainly among the top sides, so it will be a great challenge, but we’re ready.
“They have a very deep squad with a lot of quality and they’ve shown consistency, which is crucial if you want to compete on multiple fronts.”
Arsenal are seven points clear in the Premier League and sit at the summit of the Champions League table, too, holding a three-point advantage over Bayern.
Inter, leading the way in Serie A, started their Champions League campaign with four wins but they have slipped to successive losses against Atletico Madrid and Liverpool since.
Heading into the penultimate match of the group stage, they are sixth with the top eight assured of automatic qualification for the last 16.
Inter Milan head coach Cristian Chivu said: “Arsenal is one of the strongest teams in Europe.
Chivu’s thoughts ahead of Inter vs Arsenal 🎙️
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— Inter ⭐⭐ (@Inter_en) January 19, 2026
“They’ve invested heavily, they’re ambitious and competitive. This year they’re top of their group and top of the Premier League.
“They have so many ways to hurt you, they’re a complete team. We know their strengths and we have to be able to deal with them.
“We’re aware of the importance of the match and our goal, which is to finish in the top eight and advance to the next round. We know it’s never easy and we must always give it our all.”
