Champions League News: Bundesliga legend claims Borussia Dortmund are clear favourites against 'average' Barcelona

What's the story?

Bundesliga legend Olaf Thon believes that Barcelona are currently 'average' and has tipped Borussia Dortmund to be the clear favourites to beat the Catalan giants in their upcoming Champions League clash on Tuesday night.

In case you didn't know...

Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund will kick-off their Champions League campaign after being drawn in arguably the toughest group in the competition, with Serie A giants Inter Milan and Czech Republic outfit Slavia Prague also being in the mix.

Both sides have had mixed starts to their domestic league campaigns, with Barcelona sitting at fifth place in La Liga table after two wins from four games, while Dortmund are second in the Bundesliga standings after suffering a shock defeat to bottom-half side Union Berlin before the international break.

The Blaugrana have received a well-timed injury boost as Lionel Messi could feature for the club for the first time this season, with the Argentine being named in the squad that is travelling to Signal Iduna Park for the European clash.

The heart of the matter

Thon is left unfazed by the return of last season's Champions League top-scorer and has backed Borussia Dortmund to overcome Barcelona on Tuesday.

Writing in a column for Kicker, he said, via Mail Online,

"I'd say they're still clear favourites against Barcelona. The Spaniards won 5-2 against Valencia at the weekend – without Lionel Messi – but I think they are average at the moment. Barcelona are still trying to find their identity.

"Starting their Champions League season at home is a great opportunity to begin with a bang – and to get more momentum going for the title fight with Bayern [Munich] and RB Leipzig."

What's next?

You can catch the highly-anticipated clash between Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona at 00:30 IST (18th September, Wednesday).