Rio Ferdinand has been assessing whether or not Liverpool can now be thought of as favourites to win the Champions League this season.
On Tuesday night, the Reds maintained their 100% file within the competitors with a slender 1-0 victory away to Girona, with Mo Salah’s second-half penalty making it six wins out of six for the Merseyside giants.
As outlined by Sky Sports activities previous to as we speak’s matches within the event, Opta calculations concluded that Arne Slot’s facet are the likeliest membership to elevate the trophy in Munich on 31 Might, with a 20.3% probability of ascending the winners’ podium on the Allianz Enviornment.
Ferdinand talks up Liverpool’s Champions League possibilities
Talking on TNT Sports activities (by way of BBC Sport), Ferdinand was requested if he thinks Liverpool are actually favourites for Champions League glory this season.
The ex-Manchester United defender replied: “Type-wise proper now, sure, Liverpool should be favourites however nothing is handed out at this stage. Type-wise, come March and April time it may very well be very totally different to now. It’s a must to be a bit affected person.”
Can Liverpool go all the best way within the Champions League?
Ferdinand isn’t mistaken in mentioning that an ideal file within the group/league section doesn’t mechanically correspond to success within the knockout phases, one thing to which the Reds can attest from earlier years.
After we received the Champions League in 2005 and 2019, we scraped by way of the group with a win on the ultimate matchday. In contrast, topping the pre-Christmas desk in 2019/20 and 2022/23 counted for little as we have been eradicated by golf equipment from Madrid within the spherical of 16.
Nevertheless, what can’t be disputed proper now could be that, in the intervening time, no one is healthier positioned than Liverpool to go the gap on this yr’s competitors, with a top-eight end all however assured after tonight’s end result, and each crew’s remaining putting may very well be vital because of the format of the knockout section.
The upper that LFC end within the league stage, the better a route they’ll theoretically have from the spherical of 16 onwards. Theoretically is the key phrase there, however ending prime ought to provide us a comparatively form potential passage within the knockouts.
On that foundation, Ferdinand is true to speak up the Reds’ possibilities of profitable the trophy outright. One factor is for sure – every of the opposite 35 groups within the Champions League would like to be in our present place!
