Liverpool took advantage of the slip-ups by Manchester United and Chelsea this week by beating Sunderland to boost their chances of securing Champions League football for next season.
Arne Slot’s side remain sixth in the Premier League table, but the gap has been narrowed to three points on the Red Devils in fourth and two on the Blues in fifth with 12 matches remaining in the top-flight campaign.
As the league pauses for FA Cup fourth-round action this coming weekend, it’s a good time to take stock of the current standings and the upcoming fixtures for those teams vying to finish inside the top four (or five) and qualify for the Champions League.
England Premier League (EPL) betting odds will continue to fluctuate between now and the end of the campaign in May, and for all the hardship they’ve endured this season, Liverpool remain firmly in the mix to secure a place at Europe’s top table for 2026/27.
Let’s take a look at the next five rounds of Premier League games for the Reds, Man United and Chelsea between now and the international break at the end of march (the numbers in brackets below indicate a team’s current placing in the top-flight table).
Who do Liverpool play in their next 5 Premier League games?
| Man United (4th, 45pts) | Chelsea (5th, 44pts) | Liverpool (6th, 42pts) | |
| 21-23 Feb | Everton A (8) | Burnley H (19) | Nott’m Forest A (17) |
| 28 Feb/1 Mar | Crystal Palace H (13) | Arsenal A (1) | West Ham H (18) |
| 3-4 Mar | Newcastle A (10) | Aston Villa A (3) | Wolves A (20) |
| 14-15 Mar | Aston Villa H (3) | Newcastle H (10) | Spurs H (16) |
| 20-21 Mar | Bournemouth A (9) | Everton A (8) | Brighton A (14) |
| Average league position of next 5 opponents | 8.6 | 8.2 | 17 |
Liverpool must capitalise on favourable next 5 games
On paper at least, Liverpool could hardly ask for a more favourable run of fixtures in their next five Premier League games, especially when Man United and Chelsea both have the majority of their upcoming matches against top-half opposition.
In the space of a month, the Reds play four of the current bottom five, with each of their opponents in that time presently inside the bottom seven. Yes, three of those fixtures are away, but that doesn’t change the reality that this pre-international break period is the time for Slot’s side to capitalise.
Put simply, we can’t afford to be any further behind their two main rivals for fourth place by the end of March than they are now. After Easter, we still have to face Everton, Man United and Aston Villa away, while also having tough home clashes against Chelsea and Brentford.
Next month also brings Champions League commitments for Liverpool and the Blues, something that Michael Carrick’s side don’t have on their calendar for this season. That too could have a bearing on player availability, squad rotation, morale, match fitness, etc.
For all of those relevant factors, though, there’s no escaping the reality that the Reds need to make the most of these next six weeks in particular, considering the fixture list that they have.
If they can consistently match the character they showed in beating Sunderland on Wednesday with the ruthless attacking quality which put Newcastle to the sword recently, Slot’s team have every chance of being in the Champions League next term.
On paper they all look like winnable games but football is not like that. Certain teams in a relagation scrap are fighting for their lives. There are no easy games from now on. Then there’s the problem of rotation with the champions league coming up. Whoever handles the pressure will win the most games and get champions league. We struggled this time last season with the pressure of trying to win the league, Manchester United and Chelsea have improved from last season. It’s not about playing good football from now on, rather than grinding out results, the Sunderland game was a good start but more difficult games coming up. What happens now until the end of the season will define the future for slot. He has a stronger squad with better players than last season but if he doesn’t get champions league, what he achieved last season will be irrelevant.
You could argue that this is morst important season at Liverpool in many years. Not like when klopp failed to get top four, this time the money has been spent, to guarantee champions league, fail now, with these players,and the current wage bill, there’s a long way back.