Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand tips Liverpool to be Champions League winners this season

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has tipped his former club’s bitter rivals Liverpool to win the UEFA Champions this season

As reported by Daily Mail, Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has opined that the Red Devils’ bitter rivals Liverpool have what it takes to go all the way in the UEFA Champions League this season. The Merseyside club were the first side to clinch progression to the quarter-finals of the competition this week.

Liverpool have been one of the most improved sides in England this season, with a second-placed finish in the Premier League a real possibility for them this season as they go head-to-head with Manchester United, having only just managed to claim a top four place in the 2016-17 campaign.

What has been especially exciting about the Reds is the tremendous amount of progress that they’ve made in front of goal this season. Liverpool have been one of the most prolific sides in all of Europe, with only Manchester City finding the back of the net than them in the English top flight.

But, no one has managed to score more often than Jurgen Klopp’s men in the Champions League, with recently eliminated Paris Saint-Germain the closest to them. On top of that, Virgil van Dijk’s arrival in January has solidified their faltering defence to a large extent, which has helped Liverpool become one of the most consistent teams in 2018.

It is this defensive stability that was a major factor in Liverpool’s remarkable 5-0 aggregate win over FC Porto in the Round of 16. And Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand is of the opinion that his former club’s bitter rivals have what it takes to win the Champions League for an English record-extending sixth time this season.

Speaking in a post-match show for BT Sport, where he was featuring as a pundit, Ferdinand said, “I think they have got the potential to [go the whole way]. You wouldn’t want to play Liverpool.”

“I don’t care who you are in this tournament now that front three, when they are on fire, the way they play, the intensity, going to Anfield – a difficult place to go – the pace they have got in that team, they are going to be a hard proposition for any team in this tournament.”

With the front trio of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino often scoring goals for often, one wouldn’t bet against Liverpool to get the better of just about every side in the continent, with the Reds showcasing those credentials by being the only side to beat Manchester City in the Premier League this season.

The road to the Champions League final is a long winding one though, and only time will tell if Liverpool have the consistency and frame of mind to go all the way in the tournament, with fellow English sides Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea still in it.