Rakitić: Barcelona my favorite to win UEFA Champions League

Croatian Ivan Rakitić, former player of FC Barcelona, has nominated the Catalan team as the leading candidate to win this season's UEFA Champions League title.

Ivan Rakitić said: "FC Barcelona is my favorite team in the UEFA Champions League. This could be their year. Everything is going well with Xavi Hernández, he is a great coach."

He added: "Paris Saint-Germain must remain in the calculations, despite a poor start to this season in Ligue 1."

The Croatian star stated: "Of course, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are also among the contenders for the UEFA Champions League, and attention should also be paid to the English teams."