Paris Saint-Germain forward Ferran Torres has identified four clubs he believes have the strongest chances of winning the UEFA Champions League this season, with former club Barcelona included among the leading contenders.
Torres, who was speaking after PSG’s opening Champions League fixture against Slovan Bratislava, backed his current side to compete for the continent’s biggest club prize but also singled out Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich as teams capable of going all the way.
The Spain international made the assessment during a press conference while discussing the competitiveness of this season’s tournament.
“Indeed, Barcelona are among the teams considered likely to win the title,” he stated during a press conference, as reported by Goal.
“Real Madrid are also competitors, along with Bayern Munich, and so are we [PSG]. It promises to be a huge competition.”
Torres has already made a significant impact in the competition, producing a standout performance in PSG’s opening match.
The 26-year-old scored a hat-trick as the French champions swept aside Slovan Bratislava 6-1 at the Parc des Princes, immediately putting themselves among the teams expected to make a deep run in the tournament.
His performance provided an early indication of PSG’s attacking strength and reinforced Torres’ belief that his current club has the quality required to challenge for European football’s most prestigious trophy.
Barcelona also made an emphatic start to their campaign, recording a 5-1 victory over Feyenoord at the Spotify Camp Nou on Wednesday.
Raphinha scored twice for the Spanish giants, while Lamine Yamal, Karim Adeyemi and Gabriel Jesus also found the net in a commanding display that underlined Barcelona’s attacking credentials.
Real Madrid, however, had a less convincing outing in their opening fixture. The European giants were forced to work hard for a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan in a match that failed to produce the dominant performance some had expected.
Bayern Munich, on the other hand, produced a much more emphatic result, defeating Bodo/Glimt 5-0 at the Allianz Arena on Thursday.
With the early fixtures already producing impressive wins, high-scoring performances and contrasting displays from the major contenders, the Champions League is once again shaping up as a fiercely contested competition.
Torres’ selection of PSG, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich reflects the strength of the clubs expected to compete for the trophy, while the forward will now hope his impressive start can help PSG turn their ambition into European success.