Rio Ferdinand admits Celtic were always up against it facing a Leipzig team with two attackers worth more than £100million between them after Ange Postecoglou's team crashed out of the Champions League on Tuesday night.
The Manchester United legend has been on punditry for BT Sport and he reckons the financial gulf between Celtic and Rangers and the likes of Leipzig is so great that the dearth in quality will inevitably show on the big stage. Timo Werner was on the scoresheet against the Hoops at Parkhead and Ferdinand reckons he and teammate Christopher Nkunku were the difference.
He said: “RB Leipzig aren’t great shakes in Europe but they have Timo Werner who’s £50million – not a failure but he’s gone back to where he came from – and Nkunku could be potentially a £60million player for Chelsea. It’s a different level of budget and a different level of player. Scottish football – it is where it’s at and it’s been shown in the Celtic-Leipzig game where it’s at.”
Meanwhile he also admits he "can't wait" for a trip to Ibrox on Wednesday night to watch Rangers take on his old rivals Liverpool.
The United hero is set to be on punditry duty again in Glasgow as Jurgen Klopp's Reds look for a win to get things back on the rails after another defeat at the weekend against Arsenal. But they're facing a Rangers team in desperate need of a result themselves as anything less than a win would take their hopes of European football after Christmas out of their hands.
Having made more than 450 appearances for United as a player, there can't be much doubt over who Ferdinand is rooting for at Ibrox. And he reckons Gio van Bronckhorst 's team have every chance of causing a major Euro upset. He said: “We’ve been talking about it all day, I can’t wait to go to Ibrox and that stadium will be dancing. Liverpool aren’t in a good vein of form so Rangers have to take advantage of that and use the atmosphere that will be generated at the stadium.”
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