ancient Real Madrid says midfielder Toni Kroos Barcelona they are not strong enough defensively to win the Champions League.
Barca have won three of their four European games this season, with their only defeat coming in a 4-2 setback against two-time defending champions Paris Saint-Germain on October 20.
They also lead the League after winning 11 of their first 12 gameshe has scored 48 goals and conceded just 13. They are three points ahead of Madrid, although Jose Mourinho’s men did win the first Clásico of the season at Camp Nou.
Hansi Flick has had to mix in the middle this season with Andreas Christensen, Gerard Martin and Eric Garcia taking their turn alongside Pau Cubarsi.
Kroos believes it is a fundamental problem for Barça that the best teams will expose as they seek to win the Champions League for the first time since 2015.
The former German international said: “Barça always try to generate more chances than their rivals, but in the Champions League you find teams capable of scoring several goals in the same game.
“You also face opponents who defend exceptionally well and don’t let you play the way you usually do. In these situations you have to know how to defend yourself.”
Bayern Munich have better defensive options than Barcelona – Kroos
Kroos singled out another of his former clubs, Bayern Munich, as a better bet to land European football’s biggest prize because of the pace and athleticism of their back four.
And he added: “Barcelona don’t have someone like (Bayern’s Dayot) Upamecano, a defender who you can leave completely alone in a one-on-one, with 30 meters of space at the back, and have the peace of mind that he will solve the situation.
“With players like Upamecano or (Alphonso) Davies I wouldn’t worry about defending those 30 meters, but with (Joao) Cancelo, Gerard Martín and similar players, it’s much more complicated.”
Cubarsi is Barcelona’s best defender
Kroos, who won the Champions League five times with Madrid and once with Bayern, reserved his words of praise for Cubarsi, who at 19 is arguably the best young defender in world football.
“He’s by far their best defender,” he said. “He has the strength to win one-on-one duels and the speed to deal with difficult situations. But when I look at the other defenders, I don’t see anyone I would trust.”
Barça will return to La Liga a week on Sunday when Villarreal visit the Camp Nou. Their next Champions League game will be on November 25, when they visit Azerbaijani side Sabah.
