Liverpool are Champions League Favourites

[Dave]

Well... according to Stuart Pearce....

Stuart Pearce thinks Liverpool are now the favourites to win the Champions League following their quarter-final victory over Manchester City.

Jurgen Klopp's side reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in a decade on Tuesday night, after a 2-1 second-leg win at the Etihad Stadium sealed a 5-1 aggregate victory over the Premier League leaders.

Liverpool are joined in Friday's last-four draw by Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Roma, and Pearce believes Klopp's side look the most impressive heading into the semi-finals.

[Guest]

I have them as second favourites actually. Real Madrid are my favourites.

I don't rate Bayern this year too much and they are better than Roma. They have a style that can bother anyone too. I don't think he's far off. They aren't here due to luck, and Klopp has been in this situation before, against Real Madrid too.

[Machado]

One club from each of the top four leagues in Europe. May sound weird but it had never happened before in the Champions League.

Real Madrid are heavy favourites. Hopefully they meet Liverpool in the final as it's the match up that has the most potential to entertain neutrals imo.

[Stan]

Real Madrid
Bayern
Liverpool
Roma

 

That's the order of favourites, for me.

The top 2 have experience of getting to this stage and moreso recent experience of winning the tournament. Real Madrid have one of the best players in the world guiding them through to finals in recent years, too. Real and Bayern both have big-game players across the squad, not just in attacking areas. Real have players like Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Casemiro, Modric etc along with their attacking talent. They're clear favourites for me.

I would love Roma to get to the final too or even win it (!) and perhaps the way that they, and Liverpool, qualified will take them further but they need more than that at this stage I'd say. I'd happily be proven wrong to be honest. It's not just luck that gets you this far in a competition like this. As well as quality and confidence, you have to have the belief and desire and hunger that you can reach the final. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

This is our first time in the knockouts in a decade or some shite like that. There's no way we're favourites, it's new territory for most of our players. Yeah we've got a good attack, but for most of the squad every "next CL" match we have, whether we have 2 left or... if we're very lucky 3, is the biggest match of that players career. For Cristiano Ronaldo it's just another semi-final, he'll care obviously but he's not going to have any nervousness or anxiety or anything other than him knowing he's close to another final.

Everyone left in the tournament at this stage is very good. Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have to be favourites, and in that order.

[The Artful Dodger]

4 hours ago, Machado said:

One club from each of the top four leagues in Europe. May sound weird but it had never happened before in the Champions League.

Real Madrid are heavy favourites. Hopefully they meet Liverpool in the final as it's the match up that has the most potential to entertain neutrals imo.

That would be horrific. Roma or Bayern Munich please.

[Cicero]

Liverpool's best bet is to meet Real in the semi final vs the final. 

[Harry]

Think I'd like to see a Liverpool vs Roma semi just so that whatever the outcome there is at least one unusual suspect through to the final....

That said a home and away leg at allianz or the bernabau would be pretty cool. 

It really would be shit to see Real lift the cup again. 

[Dickie]

As long as Real Madrid are in they will always be the favorite imo.

[Honey Honey]

So Stuart Pearce stops doing betfred adverts and now gives odds himself 

[Carnivore Chris]

On 12/04/2018 at 15:51, Machado said:

One club from each of the top four leagues in Europe. May sound weird but it had never happened before in the Champions League.

Real Madrid are heavy favourites. Hopefully they meet Liverpool in the final as it's the match up that has the most potential to entertain neutrals imo.

Funnily enough, only 1 of them are anywhere near their league. 

On 13/04/2018 at 03:50, Harry said:

 

It really would be shit to see Real lift the cup again. 

Especially when you consider how they are nothing special at all. 

[Happy Blue]

IF they get the right Refs again, they could well win it

[SirBalon]

Real Madrid's season is extremely poor, but they've found themselves in the Semi-Finals and this year nobody can say they've been given an easy ride down that road.  PSG last 16, Juventus QF and now Bayern in the Semis...

The curious thing is that two of the three teams in the knock-out phase that Real have met are poorer than they've been in recent years with only PSG who broke all sorts of rules to make a big bid to win it this year  If anything was funny this season, it was seeing PSG getting knocked out so early.

Anyhow... Liverpool can do it but my only doubt is that to knock out Real, for me you've got a much better chance in a two legged affair than in a one off game.  Look at Atlético Madrid in those two CL finals against Real... Atleti had spent about four years dominating Real's arse domestically in every aspect and come the final, Real won... Just about! But won.

The thing is that Liverpool are so manic and chaotic that I don't think Real have played anything similar ever.  The issue is for Liverpool to be themselves in a hypothetical final and not crumble to try and be wary and conservative all of a sudden.

Anyhow... Liverpool still have to get past Roma and that isn't going to be a walk in the park, although who knows.