UCL: ‘They’re very strong’ – McManaman names two favourites to win trophy

Former Liverpool man, Steve McManaman, has overlooked Arsenal when he selected his two favourites to win this season’s Champions League.

Arsenal maintained their flawless start to the season with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Serie A side Napoli on Wednesday.

Martin Odegaard continued his scoring streak by netting the decisive goal in Naples in the 75th minute.

The Gunners had a remarkable journey to the final last season, ultimately suffering a heartbreaking defeat in a penalty shootout against back-to-back champions PSG.

Following another summer of major recruitment, Mikel Arteta’s team is expected to advance to the later stages of the competition once more this year.

However, two-time Champions League winner McManaman believes that the defending champions PSG and Spanish powerhouse Barcelona are more likely to emerge victorious in this season’s tournament.

Speaking on TNT Sports, he said, “PSG are the favourites, of course, as they have won it for the last two years.

“I believe Barcelona are very strong; they have performed excellently in La Liga. They appear capable of scoring every time they advance, and they currently have six forwards, which is advantageous.

“They are certainly contenders, having improved from last year, so they will be in contention.”

PSG commenced their title defence with a convincing 6-1 win over Slovan Bratislava, while Barcelona also showcased their strength with a 5-1 triumph over Feyenoord.

In other news, Liverpool secured their first European win under Andoni Iraola with a 2-1 comeback victory over Atletico Madrid.