When it comes to Champions League football, Lionel Messi is man who knows his onions.
A four-time winner of the competition, the Barcelona forward is the second highest scorer in its history (currently 16 behind the other guy).
With all this in mind, you can see why some folk sit up and take notice of Messi when he starts talking about which teams he believes are the strongest in the tournament, which is exactly what he’s been doing to Spanish outlet, Marca, this week.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, he doesn’t mention Real Madrid – even though they’ve won the last two titles. He does, however, fancy the chances of Manchester City, who he explains are – along with Paris Saint-Germain – currently the strongest Champions League team around.
“City is one of the strongest teams at the moment together with PSG,” he’s quoted as saying.
“So far, they have been the two teams that have shown themselves to be favourites, but this is a very long and tough competition.
“Bayern is another big team that will also be there at the end, but it’s true that today City and PSG are the best.”
Tipping City to be in the mix for their first European crown later this season is perhaps no great surprise. Their early season form, both domestically and continentally, has been phenomenal. They begin the weekend eight points clear at the Premier League summit and maintained their 100% record in the Champions League group stages in midweek with a win at home to Feyenoord.
