Benitez: United are favourites

RAFAEL BENITEZ maintains that holders Manchester United are now favourites to retain the Champions League crown after the Spaniard’s Reds were paired with Chelsea for the fifth season on the trot in this competition.

If Liverpool get past that quarter-final battle, they must play Barcelona or Bayern Munich in the semi-finals for the right to take part in the Rome final on May 27.

Manchester United will play Porto in the quarter-finals and if they are successful they would play the winners of the Arsenal v Villarreal tie in the last four.