El super “diablo” Leo Messi has told French media outlet CNN he believes Paris Saint-Germain is the “ideal” place to win the Champions League.
PSG are in contention to sweep up a third successive title in Paris after dispatching Liverpool on penalties in last year’s final at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
The English club, however, will fancy their chances against PSG this year after winning the first leg 3-0 in California on Wednesday evening.
And Barcelona superstar Messi insists the French side, currently sitting second in the Ligue 1 table, is the perfect place to win a Champions League title.
“My team-mates knew what to expect from the first leg. We knew they had been waiting for this moment for a while and now they want to defend their Champions League crown.
“They’re a great team. PSG are the perfect club to win the Champions League. We won’t underestimate them, though, so we’ll go out there and try and win the second leg,” he said.
Before that, Barcelona kick off their Champions League group stage campaign against Inter Milan on Sunday at the Camp Nou.
While Barcelona outclassed Liverpool in the Nou Camp, Messi insists there is no underestimating the visitors in the Camp Nou.
“The good thing is we know that Inter have world-class players and world-class players can make any team lose its balance in a matter of moments,” he said.
“We need to know to play according to our game plan and we’ve had these players for years. It’s going to be hard for us.”
While Messi said losing the Champions League final to Real Madrid in 2015 was still hard to swallow, he insisted Real was the only team to beat Barcelona at the Camp Nou.
“I think everyone gets to grips with the defeats now. But there are times when it’s still hard to swallow. Losing to Real Madrid in the final remains one of the most painful defeats of my career,” he said.
“It was really tough, but it’s life and you move on. It’s still tough for me. I’m not saying anything different, but I’m older now and I’m a little more understanding.”