Lothar Matthaus names PSG among 3 clubs that can challenge Bayern Munich for Champions League trophy this season
Bayern Munich legend Lothar Matthaus believes Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are among three clubs that could challenge the Bavarians for the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League crown.
Matthaus listed Barcelona and Real Madrid as Bayern's other primary competitors for Europe's most prestigious club trophy this season. Regardless, the former German midfielder feels the Bundesliga giants are among the favorites for the title.
He said during an interview with Az (as quoted by Bavarian Football Works):
“Bayern are one of the three top favorites. The top favorites, maybe they don’t want to hear that. They have a top squad, but now they’ve also seen that things aren’t going the way they would like, even if they are always dominant.”
Matthaus called PSG as a potential "stumbling block" for Bayern. He went on to add that Xavi Hernandez's Barcelona, with the addition of Robert Lewandowski, are also a significant threat. The Blaugrana are notably in the same Champions League group as the Bundesliga giants, with the two teams set to clash next week.
As far as who @FCBayernUS’s biggest threats in the #UCL will be, @LMatthaeus10 recently said that he feels @PSG_English, @FCBarcelona and @realmadriden will be Bayern’s biggest roadblocks. He also admitted not pegging RM last year... #UCL #Matthaus #FCB bavarianfootballworks.com/2022/9/10/2333…
Matthaus said:
“Barcelona are also on the up again under Xavi and Robert Lewandowski scores there too.”
The midfielder, who played 410 times across competitions for the Bavarians across two spells, added about Real Madrid's Champions League credentials:
“I didn’t have them on my list last season, because I thought they were outdated. But now you’ve seen: Wow, four or five grenades are coming off the bench, they have speed and greed, there is more future-oriented planning.”
Bayern, PSG, Barcelona and Real Madrid all began their UEFA Champions League campaigns with wins
Bayern Munich, PSG, Barcelona and Real Madrid were among multiple teams who put in convincing displays in their respective Champions League openers.
The Parisians perhaps picked up the most impressive result, beating Juventus 2-1 at the Parc des Princes. Kylian Mbappe netted a first-half brace for PSG while Weston McKennie scored a consolation for the Old Lady.
Real Madrid defeated Scottish champions Celtic 3-0 away from home. Vinicius Jr. opened the scoring for Los Blancos before Luka Modric and Eden Hazard sealed all three points for the reigning champions.
Barcelona blew away Viktoria Plzen at the Spotify Camp Nou, handing the Czech outfit a 5-1 thrashing. Lewandowski scored his first hat-trick for the Catalans while Franck Kessie and Ferran Torres were also on the scoresheet.
FULL TIME! #BarçaViktoria https://t.co/QdsyLPYMBQ
Lastly, Bayern picked up an impressive 2-0 victory at the San Siro over Inter Milan. Leroy Sane opened the scoring in the first half for Julian Nagelsmann's troops before Danilo D'Ambrosio's 66th-minute own-goal settled the contest.