Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp believes Bayern Munich and Manchester City are the favourites to take over from the Reds as champions of Europe after his team were knocked out by Atletico Madrid.
Bayern won 11 games consecutively since the Bundesliga restarted in May, claiming the league title as well as the DFB-Pokal on Saturday.
Manchester City, meanwhile, destroyed the new Premier League champions 4-0 at the Etihad on Thursday but then lost to Southampton on Sunday.
Although, Both City and Bayern aren’t yet through to the quarter-finals of the competition. Bayern still hold a 3-0 first-leg lead over Chelsea, with City also 2-1 up against Real Madrid after their victory at the Santiago Bernabeu.
And Klopp believes both teams are most likely to lift the Champions League, even with clubs like Juventus and Barcelona still in the draw.
‘I think for me the two big favourites left in the competition are Bayern and Man City, said Jurgen Klopp.
‘That would be an interesting game. Bayern played an impressive season in Germany after Hansi Flick took over [as coach from Niko Kovac]. It was really impressive what they did and these two are the favourite.
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‘I don’t know exactly how it could happen, if they meet in the semi-final or final or whatever, but the competition [in August] will be really interesting. It will be really new. But when you see Manchester City, the squad there… yes [they have a] massive, massive chance.
‘But even in the game against us on Thursday night, which City won deservedly, we should have scored three goals. Don’t forget that. We should have and we would have normally.
‘They have so much quality but no team in the world is perfect. City is not, Bayern is not, we are not. But you need to be nearly perfect in precise moments to win the Champions League.
‘Everybody needs luck and if you want to win the Champions League you should have your best line up ready for the final if possible, but I really think these two teams are the two favourites. I will watch it, the tournament.
‘It will be really interesting but unfortunately we have nothing, really, to do with it this year.’
