Koeman insists that Barcelona are theoretically the ‘best’ team in their Champions League group

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As per Barcelona’s official website, Ronald Koeman has insisted in an interview that they are the ‘best’ in their Champions League group – which also includes European powerhouses Juventus.

Koeman, who was appointed this summer after the Catalan outfit’s embarrassing end to last season, states that Barcelona are ‘in theory’ the best team in Group G of the Champions League.

The La Liga powerhouses main contenders for the top spot will be Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus. With the side also to be pitted against Ukrainian side Dynamo Kyiv and Hungarian minnows Ferencvaros.

This will see Lionel Messi and fellow all-time great Ronaldo battle against each other for the first time ever in the Group Stages of the competition.

Here’s what the Dutchman had to say on Barcelona’s hopes in Europe’s elite club competition:

“It’s a very important competition. In theory we are the best in the group, but we have to show that. We start at home against Ferencváros, which is an important game for which we have to prepare and analyse the opposition.”

“Juventus are showing every year that they have a strong team, with experience and a great player like Cristiano Ronaldo. We have Pjanic, who can give us a little more information about his former club.”

Barcelona and Juventus crashed out of the competition at the same point last season – in the quarter-finals.

With Juventus being upset by Lyon, whilst Barcelona were embarrassed in an 8-2 loss to eventual winners Bayern Munich.

Fixtures will pile up once club football resumes after the current international break, in what will be a massive test for this Barcelona side.

Experienced stars in Luis Suarez, Arturo Vidal and Ivan Rakitic have all left this summer in a massive rebuild based around cost-cutting measures, lining up the youth to play an important role this season.

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