Bayern Munich star Jamal Musiala namedrops Arsenal and 2 other European giants as he names his favorites to win the UCL this season

Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder Jamal Musiala has named Arsenal among his favorites to win the Champions League trophy this season.

Speaking to Bayern correspondent Maximilian Koch, Musiala was asked to name the favorites to lift the 'Big Ears' alongside the Bavarian side.

"Real Madrid & Manchester City. But Arsenal are also playing very good football under Arteta."

Without hesitation, the German named 14-time Champions League winners Real Madrid as the top favorites, with Manchester City as his second favorites.

Carlo Ancelotti's men won the title in the 2021-22 season but were smashed 5-1 on aggregate by Pep Guardiola's City in last season's semi-finals.

The Cityzens went on to lift their maiden Champions League crown, defeating Inter Milan 1-0 in the final courtesy of a goal from Rodri.

This season, Arsenal have marked their return to Europe's premier competition following a seven-year absence due to failure to qualify. Mikel Arteta's side put in a strong performance in the group stage to finish as winners of Group B with 13 points. The Gunners scored 16 goals and conceded just four in the process.

Bayern, on the other hand, dominated Group A and won it with 16 points, eight ahead of second-placed FC Copenhagen. They bagged 12 goals and conceded six in their six group stage games.

The north Londoners will face FC Porto in the round of 16, while Bayern Munich have been drawn against Lazio.

The Champions League knockouts will commence in the second week of February.

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Arsenal target Ivan Toney increases transfer speculation on social media

Brentford's Ivan Toney has been on Arsenal's radar for the better part of the last two seasons.

However, the Gunners' possible move for the Englishman has been stalled due to the player being handed a ban from playing for violating the Premier League's gambling regulations.

With Toney set to be cleared to play come January, rumors of a move to north London have started doing the rounds once again. This time, though, the forward himself has added fuel to the fire.

Ivan Toney liked a comment on Instagram in which a fan made a plea to the Gunners to sign the forward. The comment read:

"Arsenal - do the right thing!"

Toney has made 124 appearances for Brentford since joining in September 2020, scoring 68 goals and providing 21 assists.

Should the Gunners aim to prise the Bees' most-prized asset away from them, they will need to shell out a huge sum, with Thomas Frank's team reportedly (via Goal.com) demanding in excess of £80 million.