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Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has backed PSG to win the Champions League this season. He believes that the Ligue 1 side have shown authority and have done well to handle their opponents.
Speaking on TNT Sports, Ferdinand claimed that PSG have built a team that can do well in the UEFA Champions League. He believes that they have players who can control the tempo of the game, which is something they have missed for years. He said (via METRO):
"They played with a real authority tonight. They played like they’ve won this tournament many times before. I have them as favourites right now. The way I saw the man-handle Liverpool over two legs and dominate this game here. They took this tie away from Aston Villa with that performance. They’re favourites for me. This is a different PSG team that we’ve ever seen in this competition. Over the years they’ve had players who can define game with moments. They’ve still got that but they’ve also got control and tempo."
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PSG defeated Liverpool in the Round of 16 and secured a 3-1 win against Aston Villa in the quarterfinals first leg. They have already sealed the Ligue 1 title this season earlier this month.
Rio Ferdinand UEFA Champions League prediction ahead of Real Madrid vs Arsenal
Rio Ferdinand has predicted that Real Madrid will fall short against Arsenal in their Champions League quarterfinal tie. He believes that the Spanish side will not be able to take the match into extra time by scoring three goals, as he thinks the Gunners would be getting goals of their own in the second leg.
Real Madrid suffered a 3-0 defeat against Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals first leg on Tuesday.
Ferdinand said on his podcast (via METRO):
"I don’t think Real Madrid can win this tie. Given that they don’t keep clean sheets, that’s a massive red flag for me. So I believe that Real Madrid have to score five goals to win this game. They need four to draw this and get to penalties [in my opinion]. I don’t think it’s doable. Arsenal [will] definitely score [at the Bernabeu]."
"I don't think three goals is going to be enough. Look, I don't know how good this version of Real Madrid is. But I do know that when you've got the forward players that they've got, you can score three goals at home against Arsenal. If this was September or October, I'd say done and dusted, but this time of year, knockout stages, they find a little bit more."
Los Blancos will host the Gunners for the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, April 16.
