Lionel Messi snubs Chelsea in Champions League prediction
2 min readLionel Messi has snubbed Chelsea in his latest UEFA Champions League prediction as he sees Chelsea as not a serious threat.
When it comes to winning the UEFA Champions League this season, Lionel Messi believes Paris Saint-Germain has five genuine contenders.
Chelsea, the current champions, will meet Lille of France in the round of 16 next week, as Thomas Tuchel attempts to retain the European title.
Messi, who joined PSG from Barcelona in the summer transfer window, does not consider the Blues as a significant threat to the French club in terms of competing for the prestigious European trophy.
Messi was asked which clubs he considered as probable contenders for the championship while speaking to Spanish news site Marca, according to the Mirror.
He said: “Today, Liverpool is doing very well, it has once again been the Liverpool that won the Champions League. Then there are [Manchester] City, Bayern [Munich], [Real] Madrid, and Atletico [Madrid].
“There are many teams that can fight for this Champions League, which is one of the most even and competitive in recent years because there are several teams that can opt to win it.”
In September of last year, Chelsea manager Tuchel was asked if his team could maintain their Champions League title, and he admitted it would be difficult.
He said: “It will not change our approach. We came out of the shadows, nobody thought that we would be winners in the end. Believe it or not, there are so, so many teams that can win it. You need luck, momentum, a good group.
“There are so many teams out there with a good group, a strong club and good coaches.
“This competition is a very open competition and like you see in other sports, anything is possible if you believe, have momentum and have luck. We had this, we had a strong bond. We were surprised to win it, but not undeserved. This can happen to anybody.”
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