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HomePremier LeagueFerdinand names his 'standout favourites' to win Champions League

Ferdinand names his ‘standout favourites’ to win Champions League

Rio Ferdinand has named Liverpool as his ‘standout favourites’ to win the Champions League despite the club’s last-16 first-leg defeat to Atletico Madrid.

The European champions will need to overturn a first-leg deficit if they are to reach the quarter-finals, Jurgen Klopp’s side having been beaten 1-0 by Atletico in the Spanish capital last week.

Elsewhere, perennial contenders Bayern Munich have one foot in the last eight after comfortably beating Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge, whilst Premier League champions Manchester City are firmly in the driving seat of their tie after a 2-1 win over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.

Despite those impressive results, however, Ferdinand has backed Liverpool to defend their title and believes the Anfield outfit are the ‘stand-out favourites’ to lift a seventh Champions League title.

“I can’t look any further than Liverpool, if I’m honest,” the former Manchester United defender told BT Sport.

“I think they’ll go through against Atletico Madrid. I think it’s a tough game but I think Anfield gives it a different dimension.

“Bayern Munich looked great yesterday against a team who are searching for form and their own identity at the moment in Chelsea.

“So they may have peaked a bit early, who knows – going forward they are great but defensively I would be concerned a little bit about Bayern.

“But Liverpool are my standout favourites.”

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