MX23RW : Wednesday, December 25 14:36:37| >> :120:24022:24022:

Louis van Gaal: 'Liverpool not candidates to win Champions League'

Louis van Gaal claims that Liverpool 'do not have the individual quality' to compete with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the last four of the Champions League.

Louis van Gaal has played down Liverpool's chances of winning the Champions League, despite the Reds' thumping 5-1 aggregate win against Manchester City in the quarter-finals.

A place in the last four of UEFA's elite club competition for the first time in a decade was sealed by a 2-1 triumph at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night.

Liverpool and Roma are the two sides currently in the hat for the next round, but Van Gaal expects Real Madrid and in particular Bayern Munich to make their quality count if they also progress through from their last-eight ties.

"In comparison to the other teams, especially Real and Bayern, [Liverpool and Roma] have less individual quality," he told Dutch TV station Ziggo Sports.

"In principle they are not candidates, but they are a good team and that is always dangerous. If I have to bet now, I would put my money on Bayern Munich, which in my opinion has the best defence and a coach that adapts his team to the opponent, but who also assumes his own qualities, which is the key to success."

Bayern lead Sevilla 2-1 from the first leg and Real are 3-0 ahead against Juventus, with the return fixtures to be played on Wednesday evening.

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Mohamed Salah scores during the Champions League quarter-final second leg between Manchester City and Liverpool on April 10, 2018
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool16123137162139
2Chelsea17105237191835
3Arsenal1796234161833
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest179442319431
5Bournemouth178452721628
6Aston Villa178452626028
7Manchester CityMan City178362925427
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle177552721626
9Fulham176742422225
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton176742726125
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1772839251423
12Brentford177283232023
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd176472122-122
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham175572230-820
15Everton163761421-716
16Crystal Palace173771826-816
17Leicester CityLeicester173592137-1614
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1733112740-1312
19Ipswich TownIpswich172691632-1612
20Southampton1713131136-256


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