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What's the story?
Fabio Capello is changing his pick as to who the UEFA Champions League favourites are. Coming into the campaign, the famed Italian tactician had named Manchester City as his selection to go all the way in Europe's most prestigious club competition. However, he recently told Mundo Deportivo that is no longer the case.
In case you didn't know..
After already winning the Carabao Cup and qualifying for the FA Cup final, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City are in contention to win a historic quadruple. No team has ever won four trophies in a single campaign as most leagues do not have two domestic cups to claim.
However, the English giants will need to overcome a 1-0 deficit in the Champions League quarter-finals against Tottenham in order to do so. They must also continue their winning ways in the Premier League as they battle Liverpool at the top of the table.
The heart of the matter
Fabio Capello believes that competing on all fronts has really taken a toll on Manchester City and as a result, they can no longer be viewed as favourites to win the Champions League.
“Barcelona are one of the favourites to win the Champions League and have everything it takes to achieve it,” Capello told Mundo Deportivo.
“I like them under Ernesto Valverde, as they play with fewer sideways passes and more vertical movements. I get less bored watching them now. However, remember the strongest team doesn’t always win the trophy.
“With the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus have also become one of the favourites. There has been an overall improvement in their mentality and you can see how much they really want to win this.
“At the start of the season, I had chosen Manchester City to take the Champions League, but I didn’t like their performance in the defeat to Tottenham. They look really tired.”
What's next?
Manchester City host Tottenham in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final matchup on Wednesday. A date with either Juventus or Ajax awaits the winner.
