Jurgen Klopp assesses Liverpool’s chances of a top four finish

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has delivered his verdict on his side’s chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

The Reds saw their only avenue for silverware this season fizzle into thin air as Karim Benzema’s second-half goal confirmed their exit from the Champions League in a 6-2 aggregate defeat to reigning champions Real Madrid.

Liverpool are set for a trophyless campaign for the first time since 2020/21, but they still have a place in next year’s Champions League to fight for.

Despite the inconsistency that has plagued the Reds this season, Klopp’s side remain within six points of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with a game in hand.

However, the Reds can ill-afford consecutive slips up after last weekend’s shocking 1-0 defeat to relegation-threatened Bournemouth, especially with Newcastle United and unlikely candidates Brighton & Hove Albion also in the thick of things.

While Liverpool are gearing up for a rocky end to the campaign, their next run of fixtures could be pivotal in deciding their fate, and Klopp has acknowledged that his side are in for a ‘proper football week’.

Klopp told reporters (via Football Daily), “It’s THE competition, and we want to be part of it every year. That’s now a massive task for us – we all know that.

“When we come back from the international break, we have a proper football week ahead of us with three games – [Manchester] City, Chelsea, Arsenal – which will then probably define where we get out of it.

“People might say we lost it in Bournemouth, but I think this week is a pretty decisive one.

“Our job is to squeeze absolutely everything out of the season what is possible. It’s clear we want to be top four, but if we can do that, we will decide on the pitch, not here in a press conference.”

Two of Liverpool’s next three games are away from Anfield, which does not bode well for Klopp’s side as they have managed just one win in their last five games on the road.

The Reds have won just three of their 13 games on away turf this season (D3, L7), and those statistics will need a drastic change if they want to keep their top-four fate in their own hands.