Rio Ferdinand disagreed with Peter Crouch’s prediction that Liverpool will win the Champions League this season.
The Reds are the favorites to clinch the biggest trophy in club soccer, and few would argue against them having been the best team in Europe this season.
However, a tricky tie with a reformed Paris Saint-Germain stands in Arne Slot‘s men’s way of the quarter-finals, and plenty of other big-hitting clubs remain in the competition, including holder and 15-times champion Real Madrid.
In a TNT Sports segment, Ferdinand asked Crouch, Joe Cole and Ally McCoist to agree or disagree with the statement ‘Liverpool will win the Champions League this season.’
Crouch was the only one of the quartet who tipped Liverpool to go all the way, responding: “It’s hard to disagree. It’s incredibly difficult to do both and it looks like Liverpool is going to win the Premier League. Of course it can, it is the best team in it, in my opinion, but it doesn’t always happen that way.
“I’m going to say agree, because I just don’t think the teams around in the Premier League are going to put Liverpool to the test enough, so it can go for the Champions League. Liverpool has demolished Real Madrid already, and I think on its day can demolish anybody, I think Liverpool wins it.”
Both Ferdinand and McCoist tipped Madrid to defend the title, with the former saying: “I disagree. Knock-out Real Madrid is different to the league phase and has got more match-winners, more players that can win the match on their own, that’s the only reason I’m going for Real.”
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McCoist said: “I’m disagreeing, I think Real Madrid will win it. I think Liverpool has been excellent this season in everything it has done apart from the FA Cup. I think the route to the final is always going to be tough at this stage. Real Madrid just knows how to do it, of course Liverpool could win it, but I just think Real Madrid will win it.”
Cole, meanwhile, predicted Liverpool to fall at the first knock-out hurdle at the hands of PSG. “I’m going to disagree because Liverpool is playing PSG,” he said. “I really fancy PSG to go far in the competition, I think it will beat Liverpool. Liverpool is, along with Madrid, the best team. Something has changed at PSG and I think there is belief there now, and I just think Liverpool has had a rough end of the draw.”
