Callum Wilson has taunted Liverpool by encouraging them to "relax" as the race for Champions League football next season intensifies.
After six successive Premier League wins, Jurgen Klopp's side are suddenly back in the hunt for a top four finish, a point off Man United and three of third-placed Newcastle, albeit having played a game more. The battle seemingly intensified in a 24-hour period last weekend as the Reds beat Brentford, with both their rivals then slipping up the following day.
Newcastle were beaten by Arsenal whilst United tripped up at West Ham, but both teams still have their destiny in their own hands. And peaking on the BBC’s Footballer’s Football Podcast, Wilson joked: “Liverpool need to relax! I said I could smell [a top-four finish] a couple of weeks ago. Now that scent is gone. I don’t know where it’s gone. I can’t find it!”
Wilson added that his side's defeat to the Gunners showed they "still have a long way to go", and said they "need three wins out of four" before they can celebrate.
Lunchtime chance to open up a gap
While the gap is currently three points, Newcastle have a big chance to make it six by 3pm on Saturday.
Eddie Howe's side visit relegation threatened Leeds with a 12.30pm kick off. It finished goalless between the two sides in the North East in December, a result that would suit neither this time around.
United meanwhile, will look to bounce back from two straight defeats when they take on Wolves at Old Trafford, shortly after the final whistle goes at Elland Road. Wins for both Howe and Erik ten Hag's men, means Liverpool could be well adrift by the time they kick off at Leicester at 8pm on Monday.
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Klopp's men prepared to pounce
There is another scenario whereby Liverpool could actually be in third place by the time their players wake up on Tuesday morning.
Defeats for both Newcastle and United would truly open the door, and three points at the King Power Stadium would seem them jump two points ahead of the Red Devils. They would also be level on points with Newcastle, although would need a seven goal swing in the respective matches to boast a superior goal difference.
Regardless, any dropped points for the two contenders on Saturday will open the door for Liverpool. And it would make for an extremely tense final fortnight of the season.
The final fixtures
After the dust settles this weekend, Newcastle won't have long to summarise matters - in fact by next Thursday night they could all but mathematically be home and dry.
The host Brighton, with their frantic period continuing the following Monday with another home game against Leicester - before a trip to Chelsea on the final day (Sunday, May 28). United meanwhile, have seven days off after Wolves before heading to Bournemouth the following Saturday - finishing with home games against Chelsea (Thursday, May 25) and Fulham.
Liverpool only have two games left after their trip to Leicester. There's a home game against Aston Villa next Saturday, with a trip to Southampton to culminate the campaign.
