Mendieta muses on Spain's last-16 chances

Spain are well represented in this season's UEFA Champions League with all four Liga teams still in contention. Former international midfielder Gaizka Mendieta spoke to UEFA.com about the Spanish sides' round of 16 prospects, beginning with the club where he made his name – Valencia CF, who take on Paris Saint-Germain FC. 

"It will be a very difficult match for them. PSG have signed some great players but they haven't gelled as quickly as they would have liked," said the 38-year-old. "Valencia have the advantage of being a team that is already established, with players who have played together for a longer time. It's a great competition in which Valencia have good memories and they undoubtedly want to be a part of Champions League history."

Mendieta's nine-year affiliation with Valencia yielded two UEFA Champions League runners-up medals, before he joined S.S. Lazio in 2001. A loan spell at FC Barcelona followed 12 months later, though few could have predicted then that the Catalans were soon to become the pre-eminent force in European football. "We are getting to the stage where every game is like a final," Mendieta told UEFA.com ahead of Barcelona's meeting with AC Milan. "It's a game I'm really looking forward to."

To hear more from Mendieta, including his thoughts on Real Madrid CF and Málaga CF's round of 16 ties against Manchester United FC and FC Porto respectively, click on the video player above.