THE FULL ENGLISH

Europe may have the stars, but we have the teams... and they know it! I can see it being an all-Prem final

STEVE McMANAMAN believes Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp are on a Champions League collision course.

McManaman, who wore both Liverpool red and Manchester City blue during a playing career that saw him lift the European Cup with Real Madrid, is tipping his two former clubs to go all the way to the final this season.

He reckons the Premier League’s title rivals will also be battling for the game’s most precious piece of silverware – if they are kept apart in the draw.

McManaman feels English clubs now stand on the brink of a glorious new era that will see them dominate the Champions League.

And while Klopp’s Kop kings sent City crashing out at the quarter-final stage last season, he feels that Guardiola’s title-winners are favourites to prevail this time.

McManaman said: “I can’t see beyond Manchester City or Liverpool for the Champions League.

“Yes, it’s very hard to pick a winner at this early stage of the season, because your fate in a knockout competition can be decided by a bit of good luck or bad fortune.

“But the best teams always find a way to come through – and, in my opinion, City and Liverpool are now the two teams to beat.

“City had that mental toughness in virtually every game last season – apart from the ones that mattered most when they played Liverpool in the Champions League.

“Guardiola already had the best squad in the country, but he’s strengthened it further by signing Riyad Mahrez, while Benjamin Mendy is also back.

“So, City are the team for me. If you look at all the big clubs in Europe, I would say that City are the all-powerful team now.

“What they have got to do is

CHELSEA could be in for a shock on and off the pitch against PAOK Salonika.The Blues have been warned to brace themselves for a “crazy, wild” atmosphere at the Toumba Stadium that is capable of intimidating even the most experienced players.And, after beating Champions League regulars Basel and Spartak Moscow in Europe, PAOK are eyeing another big scalp as they face Chelsea in their Europa League opener on Thursday.Ex-Arsenal striker Chuba Akpom, who joined PAOK this summer, said: “I don’t think I have seen an atmosphere like this in my football career and I’ve been to a lot of stadiums.“It is crazy. When I first watched a match it was like, ‘Wow, these are some passionate fans’.“It is so loud. They have one section of hardcore fans, but it’s the whole stadium making noise.“The atmosphere is wild, especially on a European night. It could affect any team, even a big team.“We beat Basel and Spartak Moscow in the qualifiers, two teams that play in that competition nearly every season.“It shows we have the quality and can compete against the big teams, so it won’t be easy for Chelsea.”Akpom, 22, left Arsenal after 16 years for PAOK – Greek runners-up last season and back-to-back cup winners.The former England Under-21 frontman said: “I had a year left at Arsenal, but just thought it would probably be the best thing for me to go somewhere else and play some regular football.“I had hoped we could get Arsenal in the draw, but when I heard we had got Chelsea, I was happy.”