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Lamine Yamal has named Paris Saint-Germain as the team to beat in this season's Champions League.
Having claimed the trophy in each of the last two campaigns, the Parisian club are chasing an unprecedented European hat-trick — a feat previously accomplished only by Real Madrid, Ajax, and Bayern Munich.
Luis Enrique's side are once again among the frontrunners heading into 2026–27, though they face serious challenges from Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Yamal's own Barcelona.
The Spanish title holders have been the standout team in Europe at the start of the new campaign, winning all six of their La Liga fixtures while scoring an impressive 28 goals. Barça also cruised through their Champions League debut, dispatching Feyenoord 5–1, and look well-positioned for a deep run in the competition.
Yamal Names Champions League Favorite, Barça 'Weak Point'
Despite Barcelona's strong form, Yamal remains grounded and believes PSG are still the side everyone must overcome in the continent's premier club competition.
"I think PSG," he told Movistar. "But their challenge is that it's incredibly hard to keep winning after you've already won.
"That's the toughest thing in football. Once you've claimed a title, doing it again is the hardest task. That's what worries me when we win something — that we'll let our guard down."
The 19-year-old also pointed to physicality as a recurring obstacle for Barça when the stakes are highest in the tournament.
"Our weakness is coming up against teams like Bayern Munich or PSG, who are more physical and make you cover a lot of ground while staying switched on for the full 90 minutes," he explained. "Arsenal is more of a tactical battle, built around controlling possession."
In 2025–26, Barça suffered a shock quarterfinal exit at the hands of La Liga rivals Atlético Madrid, having previously been eliminated by Inter Milan at the semifinal stage the season before.
Time Is Now for Hansi Flick's Barcelona
Barcelona's last Champions League triumph came back in 2015 — under the guidance of current PSG manager Luis Enrique — and in the 11 years since, they have only progressed as far as the semifinals on two occasions.
Yet the squad that Hansi Flick has assembled over the past two seasons looks ready to finally go all the way.
Barcelona have secured La Liga in both years under the German coach and have gotten off to a record-setting start in 2026–27. The club's domestic dominance, combined with its steady return to financial stability, means the justifications for not lifting the European crown are rapidly running out.
All the key elements are in place: seven (very recent) World Cup winners, a manager with Champions League pedigree, a flourishing youth academy, some of the most potent attacking talent in world football, and the summer arrival of the game's finest midfield orchestrator in Rodri.
Yamal may be reluctant to publicly place Barça on the same level as PSG, but there is little doubt they should be regarded as one of the defending champions' most formidable rivals this season.