Barca not among CL favourites, says Koeman

Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman believes his side are not among the favourites to win this season’s Champions League with the Catalans having made a stuttering start to the new season.

Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s visit of Hungarians Ferencvaros in their Champions league Group G opener, Koeman played down media talk that the Catalans could be European champions.

“When you’re at Barcelona you always want to be there fighting for trophies, be it in La Liga or Europe. We aren’t the favourites, but we can go far,” he told a news conference.

Barca’s recent Champions League failings - they have just one semi-final appearance since last winning the competition in 2015 - were cited by many as talisman Lionel Messi’s main reason for attempting to leave the Nou Camp in the transfer window.

The Argentina forward has frequently voiced his desire to lift the trophy again and this season could be a final chance to do it with Barca as his current contract expires next year.

“Right now, you could maybe say his performances could be better,” Koeman said of his 33-year-old captain after Barca lost 1-0 at unfancied Getafe in la Liga on Saturday.

“But when you see him on a day-to-day basis, he’s happy and wants to play and be the team’s captain. I don’t have any complaints or doubts about his effort.”

The Ferencvaros game comes four days before the first Clasico of the season at home to Real Madrid but Koeman said his side are only focusing on the Champions League for now.

PSG’s Verratti, Paredes to miss clash against United: Marcus Rashford insists Edinson Cavani will prove a valuable addition for Manchester United after the veteran Uruguay striker swapped life on the farm for the Old Trafford spotlight.

Cavani signed a two-year contract worth £210,000-per-week ($271,000) on transfer deadline day and could make his debut in United’s opening Champions League group game against his former club Paris Saint Germain on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old missed Saturday’s 4-1 victory at Newcastle -- United’s first match since his signing -- after going into quarantine for 14 days following his arrival in England.

But Cavani is expected to be available to join Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad in time for an emotional trip to Paris.

“I am going to experience an exceptional moment, that nobody thought would happen. It will be an incredible thing, beautiful emotions,” Cavani told TF1 recently. Cavani scored 200 goals in seven years with PSG, but he left the Ligue 1 champions in June, missing their run to the Champions League final.

His age and lack of recent action -- he hasn’t played since PSG’s Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund in March -- prompted some United fans to label Cavani a panic buy after their failure to land Borussia Dortmund forward Jadon Sancho.

Cavani spent the last few months shearing sheep on his farm back home in Uruguay and indulging his unlikely passion for ballet -- even featuring in an advert for a Montevideo dance school.

But, while he relishes his quiet life away from football and could easily have slipped into retirement, Cavani’s love affair with the game was strong enough to persuade him to accept a new challenge with United, regardless of what the critics say.

PSG will have to do without midfield duo Marco Verratti and Leandro Paredes for their group-stage opener at home to United, coach Thomas Tuchel has confirmed, but captain Marquinhos could return.

Lampard sets Bayern benchmark for youthful Chelsea: Chelsea manager Frank Lampard believes reigning European champions Bayern Munich are a benchmark for his young players as they target improvements on all fronts ahead of their Champions League opener against Sevilla.

Bayern thrashed Lampard’s Chelsea 7-1 on aggregate in the round of 16 last season before lifting the trophy for the sixth time in August.

“It is a great platform to learn because you’re playing against the best, and we played against the best in Bayern Munich,” Lampard told a news conference on Tuesday.

“We were a young team last year, working a lot to improve, and the Bayern game was a great marker for the young players in the squad to realise the levels that need to be attained. I remember having that myself as a young player.”

Agencies