"Always feel the opposition has a chance" - Jamie Carragher claims Barcelona will not win UCL this season, reveals reason for belief

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believes Barcelona are not equipped to win the UEFA Champions League this season, citing defensive frailties and lack of experience as key reasons for his doubts.

Barcelona put Olympiacos to the sword 6-1 at Montjuic in the UCL on Tuesday, thanks to a hat-trick from Fermin Lopez, a brace from Marcus Rashford, and Lamine Yamal, who converted from the spot. Despite showing inconsistent performances of late, Hansi Flick’s men remain among the favorites to win this season’s Champions League, having reached the semifinals last season.

Barcelona are renowned for their attacking strength, which they have consistently shown by scoring a lot of goals in almost every match. However, they deploy a high-line approach, which involves moving their defenders high up the pitch, leaving them vulnerable at the back. And one major concern about the Catalan giants is their tendency to concede goals.

During his punditry duties on CBS Sports, Carragher expressed reservations about Barcelona’s current defenders, saying he is not sure they can contain elite teams like Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich.

“They lost [the Champions League semi-final last season] through naivety, really, maybe having a lot of young players,” Carragher said. “When you look at the back four who played tonight (Kounde, Cubarsi, Garcia and Balde), I’m not sure this back four can win the Champions League. It’s not just about playing with a high line – which gives them problems as well. Whenever you watch them, you always feel the opposition has a chance. It’s not just how they set up tactically. I’m not quite sure the defenders are good enough when they come up against a real elite team like Arsenal, PSG and Bayern Munich.”

Meanwhile, Barca have already played against PSG in the ongoing campaign, and Carragher seems somewhat spot-on, as they lost 2-1 to the Ligue 1 giants.

Hansi Flick heaps praise on Barcelona star after 6-1 win over Olympiacos

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick waxed lyrical about Fermin Lopez after the midfielder scored a hat-trick against Olympiacos. Following the three goals, Lopez was named Man of the Match and also earned a perfect 10 rating from Sofascore.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Flick said of Lopez:

“He scores, he runs, he’s very complete. ‘His performance was sensational. Three goals, the first one very important, gave us confidence. He has it all – he’s dynamic, he has speed.”

Lopez’s hat-trick made him the first Spaniard to score three goals in a Champions League match for Barca. He is also the first Spaniard to net a hat-trick in the competition since Lucas Perez did so for Arsenal against Basel in December 2016.