Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal has identified Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal as the main rivals he expects the Catalan giants to face in this season’s Champions League.
PSG are the reigning champions and will be aiming to retain the trophy for a third consecutive year.
Yamal admitted that Barcelona face a particularly demanding challenge against PSG and Bayern Munich, describing both sides as physically intense opponents who require maximum concentration throughout a match.
“Our weakness is more against teams like Bayern or PSG. This is because they are more physical and force you to run a lot and stay focused for the entire game,” Yamal said.
He, however, described Arsenal as a different type of opponent, pointing to the tactical nature of their style and emphasis on possession.
“Arsenal is different. It’s a more tactical game and more about having the ball,” he added.
Yamal also tipped PSG as one of the favourites for the competition but warned that defending a Champions League title can be more difficult than winning it for the first time.
“I think PSG are one of the favourites, but their problem is that winning again after you’ve already won is very difficult.
“That’s the hardest thing in football. When you win a trophy, winning it again is even harder.
“That’s also my fear whenever we win something, that afterwards, we might relax,” he said.
