BROUGHT TO YOU BY
Manchester City Premier League 2018

Ferdinand: I can see a Man City vs Liverpool Champions League final

Manchester City and Liverpool will contest the Champions League final, according to former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand.

Liverpool currently lead the Premier League table by a point from Pep Guardiola's side, and are yet to lose in the top-flight.

Jurgen Klopp's men have lost three times in Europe, being beaten by each of their group stage opponents; Napoli, PSG and Red Star Belgrade.

Article continues below

They finished second, however, by virtue of defeating the Italian side 1-0 in their final group game, while City topped Group F, collecting 13 points from six games, while second-placed Lyon took just eight.

City were also beaten in their pool, by the French club, but Ferdinand believes that both sides have the ability to go the distance, while he is backing Guardiola's men to again see off all challengers in the Premier League.

"I would not be surprised if City met Liverpool in the final of the Champions League," Ferdinand, who is on a three-day working trip to Kenya courtesy of Guinness, told Goal. "That is how strong these two teams are this season.

Dejan Lovren Liverpool 2018

"In the league, I think City are looking strong and better than any other team at the moment.

"I expect them to receive a strong challenge [for the title] but they should still be in a position to weather that."

Liverpool, of course, reached the final last season, ultimately losing to Real Madrid after a serious shoulder injury was sustained by Mohamed Salah.

Klopp's men will next be in action against Ferdinand's former club, United, on Sunday, with Jose Mourinho's men heading to Anfield.

And Ferdinand does not believe that the club, who are currently sixth in the Premier League, 16 points behind Liverpool, are genuine contenders in Europe.

"We lost again to Valencia," Ferdinand said, referencing the 2-1 defeat in midweek.

"The current situation at Manchester United is not good, confidence is low and our league position is not great. Something urgent needs to happen so as to stop the slide."

The former defender also touched on Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and and Jesse Lingard, backing them to blossom into stars at the Red Devils despite their recent struggles in Mourinho's team. 

"The three players have a good future at Manchester United but only if they get the support they need. They are the future of United and must be handled with good care and treated well. So far things are not working out for them as it should be but I have hope that they will stay there for longer."

Advertisement