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Raphael Varane has backed his former Real Madrid teammate Angel Di Maria to improve Paris Saint-Germain's chances of winning the Champions League. France defender Varane, 22, won the competition at Real along with Di Maria in 2014, after which the Argentine left for Manchester United. Following a disappointing season in England, Di Maria, 27, made a €63 million move to PSG and starred on his debut in their 3-0 win at Monaco on Sunday. Speaking ahead of France's game in Portugal on Friday, Varane said Di Maria would bring "a lot" extra to the French champions' game. "Di Maria is a really great player," Varane told L'Equipe. "He's experienced and he has a huge amount of quality. "He has the ability to penetrate the opposing defence, to play the final pass and to score. So he's a real asset in a team." Varane and Di Maria will be reunited in the Champions League this season, with the first of two group matches between the sides set to take place in Paris on Oct. 21. Real Madrid have won the competition a record 10 times, while PSG have never made it past the quarterfinal stage. They have reached the last eight in each of the past three seasons, however, and Varane believes that with Di Maria in their ranks they are now equipped to go even further. He said: "For me, PSG are one of the contenders to win the Champions League. They have a good squad and it's one of their objectives as well. "I think there's a lot of expectation around this competition and they're a top-class opponent. "They have a lot of quality. We're experienced in this competition as well and I think against us anyway they'll be good matches."
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