Joe Cole believes Chelsea are third favourites to win the Champions League this season after sealing their progress to the quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over Lille yesterday evening.
While Cole thinks that Thomas Tuchel’s side are in a very good position to retain the trophy, he has backed another of his former clubs, Liverpool, as well as Manchester City as having a greater chance of winning this year:
“Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool and Bayern Munich are the teams I think can win the trophy, realistically. I’d probably put Chelsea third or fourth. I think Man City and Liverpool are outstanding at the moment, and cup competitions are about the moment, the form they’re in. All of those teams would want Villarreal, Benfica, Atletico, even Real Madrid I don’t think can win it. I’d go Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Atletico, Real Madrid, Villarreal and Benfica.”
It will be interesting to see what happens when the quarter-final draw is made tomorrow. The Blues would probably want to avoid facing another English team, while Bayern Munich would also be a tough task.
However, as Cole says, the other four names in the hat haven’t exactly stood out in the competition so far this campaign. You can’t rule out any team at this late stage but, if they draw either Benfica or Villarreal, they’ll fancy their chances of making it through to the next round.
