“I tipped Chelsea at the start” – Rio Ferdinand makes U-turn on Premier League title race

Rio Ferdinand no longer believes Chelsea can win the Premier League this season and feels only Liverpool are capable of rivaling Manchester City for the title.

Pep Guardiola's side earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Arsenal on Saturday. The win at the Emirates Stadium saw Manchester City increase their lead at the top of the Premier League table to 11 points.

Chelsea currently sit second in the table with 42 points, while third-placed Liverpool are 12 points behind Manchester City. Some believe the two clubs have fallen so far behind the Citizens that they are no longer in the race for the title.

Expressing his thoughts on the Premier League race, Manchester United legend Ferdinand revealed that he tipped Chelsea to win the title at the start of the season. However, the Englishman has made a U-turn on his claim.

Ferdinand is of the view that Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool are the only side that can compete with Manchester City for the Premier League title this season. The former defender, though, feels the Reds could fall further behind the Citizens when Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane leave for the African Cup of Nations this month. He told BT Sport:

"I think Liverpool would be my tip to rival Man City but I know it can only be two games with Salah and Mane going to the AFCON, but if they don’t win those two games then I think City have won it."

"You see the stats, 10 wins on the bounce 30+ goals, six conceded that form is something I don’t think anybody else is capable of achieving [what Manchester City have]. I tipped Chelsea at the start of the season but if you look at the results and performances in recent weeks and form and momentum, City are alone."

It remains to be seen if Liverpool can remain on Manchester City's tails even when Salah and Mane link up with their respective national teams for the AFCON.

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Chelsea and Liverpool face off in the Premier League

Chelsea and Liverpool are set to face off against each other in the Premier League today. The two sides will go into the match at Stamford Bridge with the hope of closing the gap with Manchester City.

However, Thomas Tuchel's side have a few players unavailable due to different reasons, while Romelu Lukaku is set to be left out of the squad. Liverpool face a similar situation, with Klopp and three players ruled out due to testing positive for COVID.

It remains to be seen who will emerge victorious as they continue chasing Manchester City in the race for the Premier League title today.