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UEFA Champions League is one of the most prestigious tournaments in world football and arguably the biggest in club football. La Liga giants Real Madrid have won it on 13 occasions which includes four titles in the last five years.
Barcelona's latest success in the UEFA Champions League came in 2015. Though they have lifted the title four times in the last 13 years, none of them came in the last three years and in those three tournaments they have failed to go past the quarter-finals.
Ernesto Valverde took charge in 2017 and led them to a domestic double. One bad outing in the UEFA Champions League has cost them the tournament last season. They lost to AS Roma in the quarter-final and were eliminated.
Andres Iniesta and Paulinho departed in the summer, and there were quite a few exciting arrivals. The new-look Barcelona side will be looking to win their sixth Champions League title this season.
On that note, let's take a look at the four reasons why Barcelona are one of the strongest contenders to win the Champions League 2018/19.
#1 Shrewd summer signings
Though Ernesto Valverde's footballing philosophies are not new to football, Barcelona fans are not accustomed to it. Valverde's Barcelona is more balanced and compact, compared to the attacking football they played under Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique.
It proved effective last season until one poor game undone their hard work. Lack of depth in the squad was one of the reasons for their Champions League exit. Iniesta has left the club this summer but Valverde's has made some shrewd signings.
Clement Lenglet arrived from Sevilla for a fee of € 35.9 million and Arthur arrived from Gremio for a fee of around € 40 million. They have also made an important signing on Tuesday with Malcom arriving from Bordeaux for an initial fee of €41 million.
Though these are not big names in Europen football, they certainly could be effective for Barcelona and provide them with quality backup options.
#2 Coutinho has gone from strength to strength ever since his move to Camp Nou
Barcelona signed the Brazilian in January but he was cup-tied for the Champions League last season. Though he started slowly at the Camp Nou, he picked up momentum towards the end of the campaign and was brilliant for Barcelona in La Liga and Copa del Rey. In his last 9 La Liga games, the Brazilian has scored 6 goals and assisted 4 more for the Catalan side.
He was also phenomenal for Brazil in the 2018 Wolrd Cup in Russia. The 26-year-old scored twice in the tournament and assisted two more. He was the best player for Brazil in Russia and was influential throughout the campaign. Given that he has already settled at the Camp Nou, Barcelona can expect the best out of Coutinho this season.
#3 Valverde's squad has a right blend of youth and experience
One of the major factors that hurt Barcelona last season was their team balance. Their entire midfield was almost 30 and lacked the exuberance of youth. There was no support for Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, and Ousmane Dembele missed the most part of 2017/18 campaign because of injury and poor form.
All of Barcelona's summer signings this summer were 23 or below. Clement Lenglet could share the defensive burden with Samuel Umtiti and Gerard Pique. Malcom could add fresh legs to Barcelona's attack and his pace will be a great weapon.
Arthur could reduce the workload on Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic in the midfield. Arthur is a technically gifted young player with excellent passing ability. His 93.1 per cent pass success rate in Brasileirao was the best in the Brazilian league last season. This Barcelona side has a perfect blend of youth and experience.
#4 The Catalan giants have one of the best defences in Europe
The Catalan giants were one of the best defensive units in Europen football last season. They have conceded only 29 goals in La Liga and 14 of those came since April.
Pique and Umtiti formed one of the best centre-back partnerships in Europe last season. Pique's experience and Umtiti's exceptional work rate worked wonders for Valverde. Alba was solid at the back and pacy going forward. Nelson Semedo and Sergi Roberto did their job to perfection.
Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic gave them the perfect balance, and they shielded their centre-backs to great effect. Also, the arrival of Lenglet from Sevilla has given them additional options at the back.
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen has improved a lot and developed into one of the best shot-stoppers in the world. There is great depth at every position in their backline for the 2018/19 season.
