Joe Cole Names Four Teams "More Capable" Than Real Madrid Of Winning Champions League

Former Liverpool and Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole does not expect Real Madrid to successfully retain their UEFA Champions League crown this season.

Real beat Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool en route to winning the European Cup for a record-enhancing 14th time in May.

But Cole believes that three of those teams are better equipped than Real to go all the way this time around.

Cole was speaking on BT Sport after watching Real beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 to win the UEFA Super Cup in Helsinki on Wednesday.

He said: "You would think after I backed against them in every round last year that I would have learned my lesson.

"But I'm still going to say that I'd put PSG, Man City, Liverpool and Bayern Munich above them.

"I still think there are four teams more capable of winning next year's Champions League than Real.

"You have to remember that they won the Champions League and you have to give them massive credit. They are all absolutely world-class players with a world-class manager.

"But think of all the stars that had to align for them to do that... in the game against Chelsea, against Man City, even in the final when [Thibaut] Courtois had to have the game of his career.

"Can they do that again?"

Most bookmakers tend to agree with Cole's assessment. Pep Guardiola's City are rated as favorites to lift the trophy at Istanbul's Ataturk Olympic Stadium next June.

Liverpool and PSG are widely regarded as joint-second favorites, with Bayern fourth, Real fifth and Barcelona sixth.

Real Madrid won the Champions League last season but they are fifth favorites to do so this season

IMAGO/PA Images/Adam Davy

Cole came agonizingly close to winning the Champions League himself during his playing days.

He was part of the Chelsea team beaten in a penalty shootout by Manchester United in the 2008 final in Moscow.