{
  "id": 6548712,
  "title": "UCL: ‘They’re very strong’ – McManaman names two favourites to win trophy",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/ucl-theyre-very-strong-mcmanaman-names-two-favourites-to-win-trophy",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-10T05:25:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Post Nigeria",
    "slug": "daily-post-nigeria",
    "url": "https://dailypost.ng/2026/09/10/ucl-theyre-very-strong-mcmanaman-names-two-favourites-to-win-trophy/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Liverpool player Steve McManaman has praised two teams as his top choices to triumph in this year's Champions League. Arsenal secured a well-fought 1-0 win over Italian side Napoli on Wednesday, continuing their spotless season. Martin Odegaard scored the crucial goal in the 75th minute, contributing to the Gunners' impressive campaign. Last season, Arsenal reached the final but suffered a heartbreaking loss in a penalty shootout against French champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). With a flurry of new signings this summer, Mikel Arteta's team is set to advance further in the competition this year. However, McManaman believes that the reigning champions, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), and Spanish giant Barcelona are more likely to triumph this season. Speaking on TNT Sports, he stated, \"PSG are the favorites, of course, as they have won it for the last two years. I believe Barcelona are very strong; they have performed excellently in La Liga. They appear capable of scoring every time they advance, and they currently have six forwards, which is advantageous. They are certainly contenders, having improved from last year, so they will be in contention.\" PSG kicked off their title defense with a commanding 6-1 victory over Slovakian side Slovan Bratislava, while Barcelona demonstrated their prowess with a 5-1 thrashing of Dutch side Feyenoord.",
  "summary": "Former Liverpool man, Steve McManaman, has overlooked Arsenal when he selected his two favourites to win this season’s Champions League. Arsenal maintained their flawless start to the season with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Serie A side Napoli on Wednesday. Martin Odegaard continued his scoring streak by netting the decisive goal in Naples in the 75th […] UCL: ‘They’re very strong’ – McManaman…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}