As the dust settles on the opening round of fixtures in the Champions League round of 16, we turn our attention to the group stage of a tournament that’s growing in popularity at a rapid rate. The eChampions League kicks off this weekend, so we spoke to FIFAe World Cup champion Mo Aubameyang to get his take on what to expect.

What's it like to compete in the eChampions League?

It’s one of the biggest channels in the world of esports. It’s a special thing as a player when you win the eChampions League – even my dad knows what it is and he doesn’t know anything about eSports! It's a big trophy for me.

And in the time that you’ve been playing, have you noticed the eChampions League grow in popularity?

Of course – when I say I play the eChampions League in my stream or YouTube videos, it’s a big name. Everyone knows that the best players in the world play in it and that’s why it’s different to other tournaments.

What are your initial thoughts going into the tournament? Are you confident?

So I finished third in the biggest tournament in Europe so far this year, which was a good result. But recently I’ve been finding it difficult to score. I have to practise a lot in the coming days to fix it, because I’m an offensive player and I’m struggling offensively, which isn’t good!

Who do you need to watch out for?

I think that players who competed in the last tournament will be really dangerous because they’ll have a lot of confidence in the tournament. Some players have really found their game recently and so will be going in with a lot of confidence in their own skills.

What are your earliest memories of playing EA SPORTS FIFA?

Yeah, I think my first EA SPORTS FIFA game was 2003, but I didn’t play that much so I don't remember anything about that game. I started to play a lot in 2010, before my mother started taking my PlayStation away after I’d played for more than an hour!

When did you realise that you weren't just good, but very good?

My older brother was always better than me; I thought I was really bad because I always lost against him. So I practised a lot to try and beat him – I wasn’t trying to be the best player in the world, I only wanted to beat my brother. It was on EA SPORTS FIFA 2016 when I started to beat him and in that time esports was growing, so I started to play in some LAN tournaments in Germany. And yeah, I won the German championship two months after I started!

How many hours of practice do you put in each day?

Now I play around three hours a day, though sometimes only one hour. I'm not the type of player who can play longer; some can play for seven or eight hours at 100%. When I play for longer than three hours, I start to lose focus. It’s like a football player only practising for a few hours a day.

What has been the favourite win of your career so far?

It's the last eWorld Cup, the FIFAe World Cup. The goal is the same for everyone: to be world champion. But it would be nice to add the eChampions League trophy to it as well.

Who is the most valuable member of your EA SPORTS FIFA Ultimate Team?

Cristiano Ronaldo.

And which players come to mind when you think of the original EA SPORTS FIFA beast player?

Raphaël Varane. He is a nightmare because everyone uses him as a defender and it's not cool.

Have you ever had to do forfeits for losing to your friends, or vice versa?

Not forfeits as such. But there was a case a little while ago where I went to play football in real life with my friends and I’d just lost a tournament. They were all teasing me and making jokes, which I didn’t find that funny considering I’d lost the tournament 10 minutes ago…

What advice would you give to players who are new to the game?

I always say, “Don’t play too much.” You can waste your time. Go to school, play football with your friends and don’t play 10 hours a day!