Italian legend Pirlo names City, Liverpool among Champions League favorites
What's the story
Italian and Juventus legend Andrea Pirlo has recently named his favorite teams to win the Champions League, and unsurprisingly, three-time consecutive champions Real Madrid are not in his list. His former team Juventus signed Cristiano Ronaldo this term and they also have a high chance of grabbing club football's biggest prize in 2018/19. Read on to find out Pirlo's favorite teams this season.
Favorites
Which are Pirlo's favorite teams this term?
According to Pirlo, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Liverpool, and Manchester City are the five teams which have considerable chances of winning the coveted prize. He also stated that Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester United have already fallen behind and do not have many chances of winning the Champions League this term. Los Blancos, recently, fired their manager after just 14 matches.
Performance
How have Liverpool and Manchester City fared this term?
Liverpool managed to win against PSG in their first UCL game, defeating Thomas Tuchel-managed side 3-2. However, they lost their second match 0-1 to Napoli and won against Red Star Belgrade. Up next, Liverpool will face Red Star at their home on November 6. Manchester City have won two and lost one match, and are leading their table with six points.
Pirlo
Pirlo's tryst with the Champions League
The legendary defender has himself won two Champions League titles, both with AC Milan, in 2003 and 2007. He was also the part of the AC Milan side which lost the 2005 final, now dubbed as the 'Miracle of Istanbul', to Liverpool. Liverpool were down 0-3 in the first half but staged a dramatic comeback to win the match in the penalty shootout.