Arsenal are desperately clinging to hopes of a top-four finish this season, but our chances may well rely on Liverpool bottling it.
The Reds sit one point ahead of us in the table going into the final matches this Saturday, and we need them not to win against Middlesbrough, while we need to beat Everton.
There is a scenario where Manchester City could miss out on the top four, should they lose to Watford, while we beat Everton by a number of goals, with Liverpool winning also, but it’s most likely that the Merseyside club would make way for us to qualify.
Under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool have lost two cup finals already, and this weekend’s fixtures have a similar build-up, with the thinking that one win will earn them their spot in the Champions League for next season.
In fact, the German manager has lost his last five finals, and Klopp is trying his best to play down the importance of the tie, refusing to call it a final of any sort.
He said: “I don’t think we need different kinds of descriptions for this game, so it’s a ‘cup final’ or a ‘World Cup final’ or that it’s the most important game of however many years and everything.
“It is a football game. If we really—and I know we do—expected from ourselves that in each game we win the game, what is the difference?
“We have to defend well, we have to be good organisationally, we have to create chances and we have to score goals.
“So that is not a big difference and I don’t think that anybody needs this special motivation or whatever.”
Does Klopp sound like he is feeling the pressure? Could his nerves rub off onto his players?
Pat J