Gary Lineker issues fresh Premier League top five prediction after last-gasp Liverpool victory
Gary Lineker is backing Liverpool to just about finish inside the top five of the Premier League this season, which’ll likely be enough to earn qualification for the Champions League.
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The Reds’ dramatic late win at Nottingham Forest on Sunday has temporarily taken them level on points with Chelsea and Manchester United, although the latter would move into outright fourth place if they avoid defeat away to Everton tonight.
As it stands, England is guaranteed four places in Europe’s premier club competition for 2026/27, but the Premier League is very likely to claim one of the two extra berths reserved for the nations whose teams perform best on the continental stage this term.
Lineker gives fresh top-5 prediction after Liverpool win
On the latest episode of The Rest Is Football, which was recorded after Liverpool’s win on Sunday, Micah Richards asked Lineker to predict his eventual top five by the season’s end.
The former Match of the Day host has backed Arsenal, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Manchester United for Champions League qualification, believing that the fifth and final (potential) berth will be a straight shoout between Merseyside and west London.
He said: “I think it’s between Chelsea and Liverpool, and they’re both a bit erratic. Chelsea have a lot going for them, they’ve had a good run, but they’re a bit inexperienced. Liverpool are definitely better than they were in the first half of the season. They’re not giving as many goals away now.
“Ultimately, if you pinned me against the wall and said, ‘You’ve got to choose your top five’, I’d go Arsenal, City, Villa, Man United and Liverpool, and Chelsea just missing out.”
Liverpool back in the mix for top 5, but crunch showdowns await
After the Reds lost to Man City two weeks ago to fall four points off the teams just ahead of them, it felt as though Champions League qualification was in danger of slipping away from Arne Slot’s side.
John Aldridge even went as far as to claim that Liverpool could ‘forget about’ finishing in the top four after the agonising setback against Pep Guardiola’s side and instead go all-out in the FA Cup and Europe to try and finish the season with a trophy.
However, they capitalised on dropped points for Chelsea and Manchester United later that week and did the same yesterday after the Blues slipped up at the weekend, and the hard-fought manner of those two 1-0 away wins hints that Liverpool have the steel for a fight to the finish.
Every team currently placed between third and sixth has to play each other in the final three months of the campaign, and those head-to-heads could go a long way towards determining who takes the two (or three) Champions League places behind near-certain qualifiers Arsenal and Man City.
The Reds play all three of those contenders in succession in May (Man United away, Chelsea at home, Villa away), so it’s essential that we’re in the top four by the time those games come around so that we’re not left requiring wins to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition.
Before those showdowns roll around, though, Slot’s team need to keep themselves in contention and take full advantage of playing three of the current bottom five in our next three league games.
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