"If Barcelona can win the Champions League? I cannot answer that"

Ronald Koeman was much more held back in his press conference on Monday, biting his tongue more than usual ahead of Barcelona's Champions League opener against Bayern Munich.

After dealing with the controversy around his relationship with Joan Laporta following a series of interviews with Dutch media, he also gave low-key responses to other questions.

Asked if Barça can win the Champions League, he said: "You're asking something I can't answer. Tomorrow we have the first game in the Champions League where we can draw conclusions because we're facing a team with aspirations to win everything.

"We're changing things. Chelsea won the competition last year and surely weren't among the two, three favourites to win it. So, it's a question I can't answer."  

A possible 3-5-2

With several important players missing, Koeman must decide what system he plays, with the possibility of switching to a back three.

"More important than speaking about the system is protecting your own style of play," he said. "If you lose the ball, Bayern can do a lot of damage to us. Physically they are very good, quick, so it's important to find space to come out from the back, I think that's key to a good result tomorrow."