Smart money still on Italians

KOPPITES won’t like the comparison but the thought just struck - could Liverpool be this year’s Greece?

Probably not - they lack the consistency for a start - but after a topsy-turvy week in the Champions League, anything seems possible.

Two English sides into the quarter-finals and none from Spain might seem on paper like some kind of changing of the guard, but Chelsea and Liverpool have still to overcome their toughest tests if Blighty’s woeful contribution to the roll of honour is to be improved. The smart money remains on the Italians.