Paris Saint-Germain may be the team everyone is chasing in the Champions League, but former Premier League defender Sebastien Bassong believes Bayern Munich are among the clubs capable of stopping the reigning European champions.
Bassong is well positioned to assess the challenge facing Europe’s top clubs. The former Cameroon international spent more than a decade playing at the highest level, making his name as a center-back with Newcastle United before moving to Tottenham Hotspur in 2009. He also
played for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Norwich City and Watford during a Premier League career that gave him plenty of experience against some of the best attackers in the world. Internationally, Bassong earned 30 caps for Cameroon and represented his country at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Speaking to Premier Bet, Bassong identified PSG themselves, Bayern Munich and Arsenal as the teams he believes have the best chance of challenging Luis Enrique’s side.
“Who can stop PSG? PSG themselves, then Bayern Munich and Arsenal. There are so many strong teams now. PSG have a big target on their back, and Luis Enrique is applying the big reset button and doing mental work on the PSG players so they don’t rely on what they’ve done,” Bassong told Premier Bet. “Knocking PSG out will feel like winning it, and that shows you how good this PSG team has been for the last four or five years, two back-to-back wins, and now they’re going for the treble. Who knows?
“If you keep thinking about what you’ve achieved, you’re done. But yeah, I think Bayern Munich, I can sense it. They really want it, and even Arsenal came so close. I think there are a few teams that can really challenge for the Champions League this season.”
That belief in Bayern Munich is particularly interesting. The club has made its Champions League ambitions clear, and Bassong sees something in the current squad that could make Bayern Munich a serious threat to PSG.
Bayern Munich also have the experience to handle the pressure. With Harry Kane leading the attack and players such as Jamal Musiala, Michael Olise and Luis Díaz providing attacking quality, Vincent Kompany has assembled a squad capable of competing with Europe’s elite.
PSG may have the target on their backs, but Bassong believes Bayern Munich are one of the teams capable of taking aim.
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