Ivan Rakitic makes Barcelona Champions League prediction ahead of Feyenoord clash | OneFootball

Hansi Flick is now overseeing FC Barcelona for the third season, and having won La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup in his previous two seasons, and also the Copa del Rey in his first season, he is now driven to win the one trophy that has remained elusive for his team so far, namely, the UEFA Champions League.

Thus, it will be a special occasion for him as his Blaugrana team opens its UCL campaign tonight with a match against the Dutch side Feyenoord. With the way the Catalans have started this season, they are already being seen as one of the favorites to win the biggest European trophy.

One individual who sees Barcelona in this light is their former star Ivan Rakitic. As SPORT has reported, the Croat appeared in an interview with Sky Sports, and backed Flick’s team to win the UCL this season:

“I think this will be Barça’s year… It seems clear that everything is going smoothly with Hansi. Flick is a great coach.”

However, the former midfielder also recognized how hard it will be for Barcelona, and named some of the sides that will put up the greatest challenge for the Catalans:

“Of course, you have to keep a close eye on PSG. They have enormous potential, even if they haven’t looked at their best in these first few matches of the season. I’m sure that as the competition progresses, the team will regain their best level.”

“Normally, both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid should also be in the latter stages. You also cannot forget the Premier League teams. It will undoubtedly be a special Champions League, one of the most competitive.”

Ivan Rakitic’s caution with the other big teams is quite wise. However, Barcelona have entered the conversation with the big sides after a difficult few seasons, and hopefully, they will be able to compete with them for this year’s UCL title.