Lamine Yamal has named the new favorites for the Champions League following Liverpool’s devastating elimination.
Premier League champions Liverpool were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain, who advanced to the next round of the competition after a 4-1 victory in a penalty shootout. PSG will now face another English team, as they take on Unai Emery’s Aston Villa in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Barcelona will clash with Borussia Dortmund for a spot in the semi-finals after their 4-1 victory over Benfica.
Fans and analysts are backing Barcelona to go all the way, given their outstanding form this season.
And Yamal, who played a key role in his team’s win against Benfica last week, shares the same view, stating that Barcelona are now the favorites to win the Champions League after Liverpool’s exit.
Speaking to the Spanish media outlet SPORT, Yamal said: “We are now the favorites to win the Champions League now that Liverpool is out of the competition. We are not afraid of any team, we are a family… and we are not the same as last year against PSG.”
Lamine Yamal scored a goal and assisted another for Raphinha in his team’s 3-1 victory over Benfica.
Coach Hansi Flick was pleased with Yamal’s goal, saying: “I’m happy for him because he hadn’t scored for a long time.”
Regarding his team’s victory against Benfica, Flick added: “I’m happy, of course. We respected Benfica and their coach. It was a tough match for us, but we did very well.”
The German coach was also asked whether Barcelona should be considered favorites to win the Champions League this season, to which he responded: “We have to see who we will play.”
If Barcelona overcomes Dortmund, they will face the winners of Bayern Munich vs. Inter Milan and could potentially meet teams like Real Madrid or PSG in the final.
