Rio Ferdinand has named his favourite to win the Champions League, revealing a key advantage they have over the rest of the field.
The last-16 ties concluded on Wednesday, with Arsenal and Aston Villa the remaining Premier League representatives in the competition after respective thrashings of PSV and Club Brugge, while Liverpool were knocked out on penalties by Paris Saint-Germain.
And the French giants are now Ferdinand’s favourites to go all the way having got past Arne Slot’s Reds, with the United legend claiming they have an edge over Real Madrid and Barcelona for one reason.
He said: “I’m so excited, what a draw. If I’ve got to predict who is going to win the Champions League I’m going Barcelona in the final against Paris Saint-Germain. It’s going to be PSG or Real Madrid isn’t it.
“PSG have been the best team to watch for me this year in the knockout stages, definitely the most impressive so I’m going to go for them.
“The fact that in their league they can afford to rest players that’s going to be a massive thing for this PSG team going forward.
“Liverpool they played eight of the same players that played at the weekend in the Champions League and I think PSG rested most of their players if not all of them. Big difference, freshness to overrun teams.
“I’m going to go PSG to win it. Although it’s in Real Madrid’s DNA I will go with them to win it right now.”
MORE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE COVERAGE ON F365
👉 Jude Bellingham career ‘ended’, ‘Marcus Rashford feelings known’ and other guff
👉Mbappe and Bellingham embarrass Atrocious Junior as The Conspiracy prepares to eat Arsenal
👉 Sterling hope remains as second Arsenal outcast highlights Arteta missed trick in October
Luis Enrique’s side are 16 points clear of Marseille in the race for the Ligue 1 title, which allowed him to rest several players ahead of the games against Liverpool – something Slot weirdly decided not to do despite a similar lead in the Premier League.
The Spanish boss will surely do similar ahead of their double header with Aston Villa.
Ferdinand also hailed the “spirit and togetherness” of PSG after Enrique ripped up the blueprint in a bid to win Europe’s biggest prize.
He added: “They’ve changed from trying to go Galactico superstar and buy the big Champions League trophy to going no our team ethic, spirit and togetherness will win us that trophy.
“Whether they win it I’m going to go as far as to say the next two to three years if they don’t win it this year they will win the Champions League.”
Quarter-final draw in full
PSG vs Aston Villa
Arsenal vs Real Madrid
Barcelona vs Borussia Dortmund
Bayern Munich vs Inter Milan