Gary Neville: Liverpool should go out of the Champions League against Bayern Munich
Former England and Manchester United defender Gary Neville have urged Liverpool to go out of the Champions League against Bayern Munich in the round of 16.
Liverpool who drew against Everton the past weekend and has relinquished the top spot in the Premier League to Manchester City with 9 matches still to go.
The Reds are not in the best of forms drawing four of the last six league matches. The first leg against Munich also ended in a 0-0 draw at Anfield. Scoring UEFA goals have been the biggest problem for Liverpool, who have drawn a blank in three of the last four matches.
Neville believes that having a clear run at the Premier League would give Liverpool a better chance at winning than juggling between two tournaments.
Manchester City is still within a chance of winning four trophies this season with them being alive in both the Champions League and the FA Cup. They have already secured the Carabao Cup.
Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast, the Sky Sports pundit said:
Getting points on the board is a big advantage. I always thought that if Liverpool could win the league this season then they'd need a clean fixture list.
I'm going to say it: go out against Bayern Munich. That sounds like madness.
Of course, you'd never play to lose a game but it will be in Liverpool's favour if they have a clean run as they can get everyone fresh. City have got a couple of FA Cup games, where Liverpool could go five or six points in front. That's tough to pull back in the closing weeks.
This title race is still 50-50.
Liverpool faces Burnley next in the Premier League in a must-win game knowing they cannot afford any more slip-ups. The fate of the Premier League is out of their hands if Manchester City happens to win all the remaining fixtures.
Jamie Carragher is of the opinion that not being involved in the FA Cup could prove to be beneficial for Liverpool.
Liverpool have to stay with Manchester City until there are four or five games to go, Manchester City's last six fixtures include Tottenham, Manchester United and away to Burnley - they also will have Champions League fixtures in between, although we don't know how far both teams will go.
When City play in the FA Cup, Liverpool play on those days too. If Liverpool can win on those days it puts the pressure on City to win a game in hand. One of those games in hand is Manchester United in midweek. If Liverpool can get results on the board in FA Cup weekends, that could put pressure on City.
How are Liverpool fans feeling about the teams' chances in the Premier League? Should Liverpool go out of the Champions League as Neville implies?