Football

Liverpool Must Win Every Home Game to Qualify for Champions League

April 21, 2023 5:14 pm

Liverpool are currently eighth in the Premier League table, nine points behind fourth-placed Newcastle United, but veteran midfielder Fabinho remains hopeful.

There are mathematic permutations that see Liverpool still finish in the top four of the Premier League. Champions League football is the lifeblood for the Kop and failing to do so will not be tolerated in the dressing room, leave alone some sections of the terraces.

The Reds have an outside chance of overtaking the likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle United and need to take all fifteen points from their remaining five matches at Anfield.

Difficult to overtake Villa and Newcastle

Jurgen Klopp’s men have failed to live up to their established high standards this season. It is their woeful away form that has hindered them from fighting at the top of the points table. The Reds seem to have taken a turn for the worse but gave a warning shot to their rivals. They dismantled Leeds at Elland Road, earning a 1-6 win and crucial three points.

European participation remains in sight but it is the Champions League that Liverpool are targeting. Fabinho knows it is an uphill task, especially given the way their European rivals have been performing of late.

“That [qualifying for the Champions League] has to be our goal,” Fabinho said. “We are hopeful that it is possible.

“Of course, it’s difficult. The teams that are above us are achieving good results; that is the case of Aston Villa, who are on the rise. Newcastle is also doing well. They lost their last game [at Aston Villa], but they have done well. It will be difficult, but at this moment we have to look at ourselves.”

Hopeful about Champions League qualification

Fabinho admitted that anything short of qualification for the Champions League will be a failure. The fans are used to European nights and the players are accustomed to the harsher realities of mixing with the best in the business.

“The Champions League has been a very special competition for us,” Fabinho added on the subject. “Since Alisson and I came here, we’ve played every year, we’ve reached two finals, we’ve won one. It’s a special competition for us, for the fans.

“The atmosphere at Anfield on a Champions League night is different, and I believe that the big clubs and the big players have to be playing in this competition all the time. As hard as it is, I don’t think about Liverpool not playing in the Champions League. It will be a different reality, but as long as there is hope, we will try and do our best.”

Win at Anfield at all costs

The morale in Liverpool’s dressing room increased following their 1-6 away win over Leeds. They have three more away trips to negotiate before the end of the campaign. However, the importance of winning their remaining home games cannot be understated.

If they are to boost their top-four chances, they will have to deliver at Anfield. Nottingham are their first challenge in this period with further duels against Tottenham, Fulham, Brentford and Aston Villa.

Fabinho laid down the path to their success and believes success in front of the Kop will determine where they finish.

“We have to take it one game at a time,” Fabinho said. “Next is Nottingham Forest and then we will play at home and, at home, we have to win every game until the end. I think that if we want to be in the top four, we have to win every game. But of course, winning against Nottingham is very important, thinking game by game and believing until the end.”

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