Liverpool's final fixtures compared to Man Utd, Chelsea and Aston Villa in Champions League charge
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Liverpool still have to work to do in their final four Premier League fixtures to confirm Champions League qualification, as we look at their run-in compared to Man United, Aston Villa and ChelseaThe task is nearly complete for Liverpool, though with four matches remaining, the Reds cannot afford to become complacent just yet.Saturday's 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace, thanks to strikes from Alexander Isak, Andy Robertson and Florian Wirtz, has left Liverpool just six points away from securing qualification for next season's Champions League, and that target could reduce further before their next outing.Arne Slot and his squad are well aware that a top-five finish will guarantee a place at European football's highest level, and having climbed to fourth, their prospects of achieving that objective have improved considerably.READ MORE: What the Kop brilliantly sang to Freddie Woodman as Arne Slot Liverpool request acceptedREAD MORE: Arne Slot can't reassure Liverpool fans with four-word Mohamed Salah injury admissionA challenging final month lies ahead, however, and there remain several sides ready to capitalise on any mistakes. Here's how Liverpool's closing four fixtures stack up against their rivals in the race for the top five...Manchester United (3rd - 58pts)United are firmly in the driving seat to secure Champions League football, given they are yet to feature this weekend and have still managed to retain third spot in the standings.FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE!
That would put them beyond the reach of the Bees and Chelsea, and leave them just two points shy of mathematically guaranteeing a top-five finish.PL fixtures:Brentford (h) - Monday, April 27Liverpool (h) - Sunday, May 3Sunderland (a) - Saturday, May 9Nottingham Forest (h) - tbcBrighton (a) - Sunday, May 24Liverpool (4th - 58pts)The Reds are on the brink, and that triumph over Palace could prove vital with a demanding final month of the season now upon them. United, Chelsea and Villa in the next three fixtures is undeniably a challenging run.As it stands, Liverpool still requires a maximum of six points to secure Champions League football, though climbing to fourth offers a degree of additional breathing room.PL fixtures:Manchester United (a) - Sunday, May 3Chelsea (h) - Saturday, May 9Aston Villa (a) - tbcBrentford (h) - Sunday, May 24Aston Villa (5th - 58pts)Villa's predicament is further complicated by a Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest to contend with, and Unai Emery will undoubtedly have one eye on that as he considers his selections over the coming weeks.Much like Liverpool, the maths is straightforward - six points and the job is done.
With fixtures against Tottenham and already-relegated Burnley on the horizon, Villa will be confident of wrapping things up sooner rather than later.PL fixtures:Tottenham (h) - Sunday, May 3Burnley (a) - Sunday, May 10Liverpool (h) - tbcManchester City (a) - Sunday, May 24Brighton (6th - 50pts)Brighton currently leads the chasing pack, buoyed by their midweek victory over Chelsea, and casting an eye over their next three fixtures, there is plenty of reason for the Seagulls to feel optimistic.Naturally, they will need at least one of the three sides above them to drop a minimum of eight points across their remaining games, but Fabian Hurzeler's outfit look well positioned to secure a Europa League berth at the very least.PL fixtures:Newcastle (a) - Saturday, May 2Wolves (h) - Saturday, May 9Leeds (a) - tbcBrighton (h) - Sunday, May 24Bournemouth (7th - 49pts)Bournemouth squandered a golden opportunity to pile the pressure on the likes of Liverpool and Villa after conceding a stoppage-time equaliser against Leeds in midweek.That could yet prove a devastating blow to their Champions League aspirations, though they will be hopeful of clinching some form of European football.PL fixtures:Crystal Palace (h) - Sunday, May 3Fulham (a) - Saturday, May 9Manchester City (h) - tbcNottingham Forest (a) - Sunday, May 24Chelsea (8th - 48pts)Chelsea appear to have fallen out of contention, with the Blues now likely focused simply on securing any form of European football.Liam Rosenior has paid the price for his side's dreadful run of results, and should Chelsea drop any further points in their remaining fixtures, their Champions League aspirations will be well and truly over.PL fixtures:Nottingham Forest (h) - Monday, May 4Liverpool (a) - Saturday, May 9Tottenham (h) - tbcSunderland (a) - Sunday, May 24Brentford (9th - 48pts)Despite sitting ninth, Brentford actually boast the highest potential points tally of any side currently placed outside the top five. That is largely due to the fact that they are yet to play this weekend.United could in fact do Liverpool a favour by taking all three points on Monday evening, and beyond that, forthcoming trips to the Etihad and Anfield look particularly daunting prospects for Keith Andrews' side.PL fixtures:Manchester United (a) - Monday, April 27West Ham (h) - Saturday, May 2Manchester City (a) - Saturday, May 9Crystal Palace (h) - tbcLiverpool (a) - Sunday, May 24Buy Blood Red, our monthly Liverpool FC print publication for just £3.50 by clicking here