Chelsea backed by Rio Ferdinand as the 'best hope as an English team' to win Champions League

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand believes Chelsea have the best chance of representing England this season by winning the Champions League.

The last English side to win Europe's elite competition back in 2012, Chelsea started off their Champions League campaign with a bang on Tuesday (12 September) as they defeated Qarabag 6-0 at Stamford Bridge.

The big win meant the London side not only sit comfortably atop their group already but have now won four straight games in all competitions after their shock 3-2 home loss to Burnley on the opening day of the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho's United side won 3-0 against FC Basel on the same night while the day after, Manchester City emerged victorious in a 4-0 win at Feyenoord, Tottenham defeated Borussia Dortmund 3-1 at Wembley while Liverpool were held at home to Sevilla in a 2-2 draw.

Having seen all five English sides compete in the first day of the 2017/18 Champions League season, Ferdinand has been most impressed with the Blues and believes the understanding between the players will be crucial if they want to go all the way to the final in Kiev, Ukraine.

"Maybe their [Chelsea] strength in depth is their only Achilles heel that I find in their team," Ferdinand said on BT Sport, as quoted on the London Evening Standard.

"I think they are a very well balanced team. I think the manager [Antonio Conte] works hard, he drills them daily on tactics.

"They have an understanding of each other as individuals but also as a team. In that sense I think Chelsea are our best hope as an English team. A lot of the other teams you can see deficiencies in the squad."

Chelsea's next European fixture will not be easy, however, as they will be the first Champions League opponent for Atletico Madrid at their new stadium Wanda Metropolitano, with the match taking place on 28 September.