Michael Owen believes that Liverpool FC are the favourites to win the Champions League this season.
The Reds booked their place in the last 16 of Europe’s elite club competition on Wednesday night with a comfortable 2-0 victory against 10-man Atletico Madrid at Anfield.
Goals from Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane had put the Reds 2-0 up inside 21 minutes before Felipe was sent off in the 36th minute on Merseyside.
The victory sealed Liverpool FC’s place in the next round, with Jurgen Klopp’s men having taken a maximum 12 points from their first four games in the group stage this season.
Former Liverpool FC and England star Owen feels that the Reds are the favourites to win the prestigious trophy this season – and he claimed that their closest challengers for the title are likely to come from the Premier League rather than abroad.
“I think English football and the Premier League is so far ahead of everyone else at the moment and getting even stronger,” said Owen, speaking on BT Sport on Wednesday night.
“We’ve been ahead for a few years anyway and then we’ve taken the two best players in the Italian league in Ronaldo and Lukaku.
“Lionel Messi’s gone to a weaker league so the Spanish league has got weaker. I can never really take the French league as seriously as maybe I should.
“We’re taking the best managers as well. I think the biggest dangers to Liverpool are probably Man City and Chelsea.
“You look at the Anfield factor, I just can’t get that out of my head. Good luck going there in the second leg of a European tie. They are almost unbeatable at Anfield.
“You’d have to say that Liverpool are favourites.”
Liverpool FC captain Jordan Henderson praised the Reds for having sealed their place in the knockout phase of the Champions League with two games to spare as the hectic festive fixture schedule looms large.
Speaking after Wednesday night’s game, Henderson said: “It’s an achievement, especially in this group with the teams that are in it, to win the group and qualify for the next round is important.
“But we want to keep going, keep the momentum going when we’re playing games. There’s still big games to come and we want to finish them properly.”
Liverpool FC will return to Premier League action on Sunday afternoon when they take on West Ham United in east London before the international break.
After that, the Merseyside outfit will take on Arsenal at Anfield in the Premier League on 20 November.
