Gary Neville rates Liverpool's chances of Champions League qualification before Man Utd game
Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Liverpool.com or go back to LFC Live.
Gary Neville has offered his opinion on whether or not Liverpool will secure Champions League qualification next season as the Reds prepare to face United at Old TraffordGary Neville believes Liverpool will secure Champions League next season(Image: YouTube - The Gary Neville Podcast)Gary Neville has expressed strong confidence that Liverpool will secure qualification for the Champions League next season, saying he is "99 percent certain" of the Reds' place in the competition.Arne Slot’s side has won all three of its Premier League matches in April to climb into fourth place, opening up an eight-point cushion over Brighton in sixth with four games remaining. Following the team's 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace, Opta data projected Liverpool’s chances of finishing in the top five at 96.92 percent, underlining its strong position.Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast, Neville suggested that only a major collapse would now prevent Liverpool from returning to Europe’s elite competition for the 2026/27 season, with the chasing pack running out of time to close the gap.
Liverpool also received a boost in its European hopes before it even kicked a ball on Sunday.READ MORE: Xabi Alonso was forced to address Chelsea 'offer' as ex-Liverpool star eyed for manager's jobREAD MORE: Gary Neville claims Arne Slot cannot 'afford embarrassment' to pile pressure on Liverpool bossHe said: “Liverpool have got eight points [of a gap to sixth], haven’t they, with four games to go…Liverpool, to be fair, I’m 95 percent, 99 percent certain that they’re gonna be in the Champions League.“They won’t be thinking that, they’ll think they’ve got to do the job, but I don’t see the other teams winning the games they have to win, or Liverpool dropping all the points that they would need to drop.”Slot’s players still face a demanding run-in, meaning their current cushion over Brighton offers comfort but not complete security in the race for the top five. While they remain well placed, there is still a need to avoid any late-season slip that could put their Champions League qualification at risk.A draw at Old Trafford and a subsequent home win against Chelsea would, in theory, be enough to seal a place in next season’s competition, though as Neville noted, the chasing pack would still require Liverpool to falter in order to mount a late challenge.Liverpool has moved a step closer to securing Champions League qualification(Image: Getty Images)The Sky Sports pundit had backed Liverpool to qualify for Europe’s top competition even when its position appeared to be in serious doubt just a few weeks ago.After dropping points at home to Tottenham courtesy of another late goal, Dominik Szoboszlai warned the Reds would've been lucky to qualify for the Conference League after consistently throwing leads away.Neville had previously backed Liverpool to secure a fourth-place finish and doubled down on his belief despite dropped points against Wolves and Spurs.The former United defender also suggested that Aston Villa are the most likely side to miss out on a top-five finish, although he noted that a strong Europa League campaign could still provide an alternative route into European competition.On Unai Emery's side, Neville said: “Can they recover to keep that Champions League away from United, Liverpool and Chelsea?
I’m not sure.“I think they’ll miss out and I think they’ll end up in the Europa League places, but it would be amazing if they went and won the Europa League and got into the Champions League."I want to see them in the Champions League next season. I like Unai Emery a lot, I like Aston Villa a lot."