Rio Ferdinand names new Champions League favourite after Arsenal and PSG wins

PSG saw off Aston Villa in the first-leg of their Champions League quarter-final, having also dispatched Liverpool, with Rio Ferdinand declaring them his favourites to win the tournament

Rio Ferdinand declared PSG his Champions League favourites after they put themselves in control of their quarter-final. The French side came from a goal down to see off Aston Villa 3-1 ahead of next week’s second-leg.

PSG knocked out Liverpool in the last round, playing some sensational stuff as they dominated the Reds, and are now looking to down another Premier League side. Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were both on the scoresheet and the French outfit will head to England with a two-goal lead.

Luis Enrique’s side were slow to get going in the competition but now look primed to lift the trophy come May with Ferdinand labelling them as the favourites. Arsenal or Real Madrid will be their semi-final opponents, but the Gunners have one foot in the last four after a commanding win.

Barcelona and Inter Milan are also contenders and both sides lead following the first-legs of their quarter-final ties, but despite that Ferdinand has still claimed the Ligue 1 champions are his pick.

He said on TNT Sports: “I said on comms as much as we’ve been blown away by the goals and the moments of skill, I’ve been as impressed by their ability to win the ball back, they played with the authority of a team who’ve won this tournament many times before, but they haven’t.

READ MORE: Brilliant PSG come from behind to earn commanding lead over Aston Villa – 5 talking pointsREAD MORE: William takes Prince George to football match ‘in lucky clothes’ – but team lose

“But it looks like they’re a team who know how to get the best out of each individual player and really, really dominate opposing players – man to man – but also as a collective. I have them as favourites right now, the way I saw them man handle Liverpool over two legs and the way they’ve dominated the game here.”

PSG have made people stand up and take note given the manner of their performances, especially as the tournament has gone on. They dominated Villa despite conceding the opening goal as they go after their first ever European triumph.

Arsenal stated their case with a 3-0 win over the defending champions. Declan Rice scored two stellar free-kicks to down the Spanish side, who had been tipped by many to go back-to-back after adding Kylian Mbappe, but they now need a huge showing in the return leg.

Barcelona have been the Champions League’s leading scorers and they stuck four past Borussia Dortmund in their clash on Wednesday night. Inter meanwhile are eyeing a second final in three years and downed Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in their first-leg.

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Sky Sports launches discounted Premier League package

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

£43

£35

Sky

Get the deal here

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £192 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.