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Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta has named Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Manchester City as the two favorites to win the UEFA Champions League this campaign.
Manchester City finished as Group G winners and have drawn RB Leipzig in the Round of 16 of the tournament. PSG, on the other hand, will take on Bayern Munich after the French outfit finished second in Group H.
City and PSG are yet to win the competition in their club's entire history. The Premier League outfit reached the final of the 2020 Champions League, only to lose 1-0 to Chelsea in the final.
A year prior to City's defeat, Les Parisiens lost in the Champions League final by the same scoreline against Bayern Munich. Iniesta, who won the tournament four times as a Barcelona player, believes one of these two teams could go all the way this season.
He told Marca (h/t Football-Espana):
"It is difficult to predict what can happen in these competitions where there are very good teams. In the Champions League, I see City and PSG strong, I think they will be close to winning it again."
The next stage of UEFA's premier competition commences on 14 February, and a lot can change between now and then. Injuries, fitness issues, managerial changes, and transfers in January could play a role in that regard.
Speaking about how things could change later in the campaign, Iniesta added:
"But the thing is that there are great teams and now they are in a moment of form and then in February, we will see if it is another. Napoli, for example, have had a great phase but let’s see how they are later. Liverpool and Madrid are also doing well."
Andres Iniesta's former club Barcelona eliminated from UEFA Champions League
For the second season in a row, Barcelona will play in the UEFA Europa League after finishing third in their UEFA Champions League group.
The Blaugrana finished with a paltry tally of seven points from their six European group games this campaign. Bayern Munich qualified as the group winners while Inter Milan finished as the runners-up.
Barcelona's path to the Europa League final this season will not be easy by any means. They have been drawn against Manchester United in the play-off round of the competition.
The Red Devils qualified for the Europa League this season after finishing sixth in the Premier League last term. This is the first time the two teams will face each other in this competition.
