Manchester City can win the Champions League this year if Fernandinho stays fit, insists Rio Ferdinand

Manchester City can win the Champions League this year if Fernandinho stays fit, insists Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand has backed Manchester City to win the Champions League this season, but only if midfield general Fernandinho stays fit for the remainder of the competition.The Manchester United legend, who was victorious in the illustrious competition in 2008, believes Pep Guardiola’s men are in pole position to go all the way this year.2

Fernandinho is key to Manchester City’s Champions League dream, according to Rio Ferdinand

However, he believes that is dependent on whether or not the injured Brazilian, who is suspended for City’s last-16 second leg tie against Schalke, is fit and available for selection in the later rounds.He told talkSPORT: “They’re the favourites for me. In terms of depth, quality and the variations they possess, I think they’ve got the best squad.“My only concern for them would if Fernandinho got injured for a period of time. I think my prediction changes.“He’s probably one of the most vital players in their starting XI, he holds it all together like a cog.2

The BT Sport pundit spoke exclusively with talkSPORT on a range of topics

“He’s a driving force for City in midfield, and without him they just aren’t the same.”Despite tipping them to lift Europe’s most coveted trophy, the former England defender says the reigning Premier League champions’ game management must improve if they are to better their previous best finish in the competition when they reached the semi-final in 2016.He added: “They’ll be the team to beat – I’ve got no doubt about that.“Pep’s alluded to this but in terms of knockout football in the Champions League they haven’t gone about managing games right on many occasions in the past. “That could be their Achilles heel in this competition once again if they weren’t to win it.”City came from behind to reign victorious in their first-leg clash against the Bundesliga side, with Raheem Sterling netting an injury-time winner in a thrilling five-goal contest.Speaking ahead of the game at the Etihad, Guardiola claimed his side were still “teenagers in the competition” and insisted they were “still not ready to fight for the latter stages” of the competition.BT Sport brings you the moments that matter this season, with exclusively live coverage of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. Watch live on TV and via the award winning BT Sport App. For more info visitbt.com/sport

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