Former Liverpool midfielder Steve McManaman has backed defending champions Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona as his two favourites to win this season’s UEFA Champions League, overlooking Arsenal despite their strong start to the campaign.
Arsenal maintained their perfect start on Wednesday with a 1-0 victory over Napoli in Naples, with Martin Odegaard scoring the decisive goal in the 75th minute.
The Gunners reached the Champions League final last season before losing to PSG on penalties, but McManaman believes the French and Spanish giants remain stronger contenders.
“PSG are the favourites, of course, as they have won it for the last two years,” McManaman told TNT Sports.
“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 began their title defence with a 6-1 thrashing of Slovan Bratislava, while Barcelona also made a statement with a 5-1 victory over Feyenoord.
Arsenal, who strengthened their squad during the summer, will hope to prove McManaman wrong as they target a deeper run in Europe.
Meanwhile, Liverpool recorded their first European victory under manager Andoni Iraola with a 2-1 comeback win over Atletico Madrid.
