Rio Ferdinand has named his favourites to win the Champions League and believes his tip have one huge advantage over the rest of the field.

A high quality lineup was completed last night after Real Madrid ousted their local rivals Atletico following a dramatic and controversial penalty shootout.

The reigning champions will take on Arsenal in the last eight, while Paris Saint-Germain’s reward for knocking out Premier League champions-elect Liverpool is a reunion with their ex-manager Unai Emery and his Aston Villa side who have been the competition’s surprise package.

On the other side of the draw, Barcelona face last season’s beaten finalists Borussia Dortmund, while there is a heavyweight clash between Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich and an Inter side who conceded just one goal during group stage.

Having watched all of the protagonists in action in recent months, Ferdinand believe PSG have what it takes to go all the way with their belief having received a major shot in the arm following Tuesday’s heroics at Anfield.

He said: ‘I’m so excited, what a draw. If I’ve got to predict who is going to win the Champions League I’m going Barcelona in the final against Paris Saint-Germain. It’s going to PSG or Real Madrid isn’t it.

‘PSG have been the best team to watch for me this year in the knockout stages, definitely the most impressive so I’m going to go for them.

‘The fact that in their league they can afford to rest players that’s going to be a massive thing for this PSG team going forward.

‘Liverpool they played eight of the same players that played at the weekend in the Champions League and I think PSG rested most of their players if not all of them. Big difference, freshness to overrun teams.

‘I’m going to go PSG to win it although it’s in Real Madrid’s DNA I will go with them to win it right now.’

Luis Enrique’s men are a mammoth 16 points ahead of Marseille in the race for the Ligue 1 title and are sure to give their star players a breather ahead of their double header with Villa.

Not that their young stars such as Desire Doue, Vitinha and Joao Neves looked in need of a rest against Liverpool and Ferdinand believes PSG are benefiting from a major shift in transfer policy.

He said: ‘They’ve changed from tying to go Galactico superstar and buy the big Champions League trophy to going no our team ethic, spirit and togetherness will win us that trophy.

‘Whether they win it I’m going to go as far as to say the next two to three years if they don’t win it this year they will win the Champions League.’