Paul Merson lists his top 5 clubs to win the Champions League next season. See where he places Chelsea

Chelsea won the Champions League two seasons ago, as a Thomas Tuchel led side turned around their season to be Champions of Europe.

Last season, Chelsea also showed they have what it takes to compete in Europe, as the Blues reached the quarter-final stage and narrowly crashed out to Real Madrid.

Paul Merson has revealed he’s backing Chelsea as his third favourite to win the Champions League, and believes that the Blues can go all the way.

Paul Merson told Sportskeeda: “You have to be tight at the back to win the UEFA Champions League and Chelsea have been defensively tidy under Thomas Tuchel, while Reece James and Ben Chilwell – who I regard as the best pair of full-backs in world football – can make things happen on both ends of the pitch.

“As for their midfield, they have three solid options in Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante and Jorginho, while Conor Gallagher could also be part of the first-team squad this season after a successful loan spell at Crystal Palace.

“Sterling is a player I really admire – he makes things happen in attack. People slander him for the chances he misses, but he does really well to get into goalscoring positions and was a key player for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

“I’ve put Chelsea at #3, but they can easily be #1 or #2 if their new players settle in quickly.

“The only thing that worries me is that they haven’t got a bonafide goalscorer, but I don’t think that is much of an issue when it comes to cup competitions where they can keep it tight at the back and nick it with a goal at the other end.”