"Could mint him a special title winners' medal" - John Aldridge hopeful Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard can help Liverpool in title race with Manchester City
Liverpool great John Aldridge believes Reds legend and Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard can give Jurgen Klopp's side a hand in their Premier League title race with Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola's side enjoyed a 14-point lead at the top of the Premier League table at one point in January. However, the Anfield outfit reduced the gap to just one point before the international break.
With just nine more games remaining to be played, it remains to be seen who will emerge victorious in the Premier League this term. Liverpool and Manchester City will lock horns at the Etihad Stadium on April 10th in what many believe could be the title decider.
However, Aldridge feels the title race has many more twists in store as we head into the final stretch of the season. The Anfield great can see the contest going all the way to the last game of the campaign when Gerrard's Aston Villa face the defending champions.
Aldridge is hopeful that Gerrard can take points off Manchester City on the final matchday and help his former club win the Premier League. The ex-striker went on to quip that the Reds could hand the Aston Villa manager a winners' medal if he manages to pull that off. He wrote in his Sunday World column:
"On the final day of the Premier League season, Gerrard takes [Aston] Villa to the Etihad Stadium to take on [Manchester] City. Can you imagine the scenario of Villa somehow keeping a clean sheet against City, Liverpool beating Wolves at Anfield and Gerrard winning the Premier League title for his old club?"
"Stevie never managed to get his hands on the biggest prize in English football during his time at Liverpool, but we could mint him a special title winners’ medal if he pulled off that trick!"
While the Citizens face Gerrard and Co, the Reds are scheduled to face Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield in their final league match of the season.
Aston Villa have games against both Liverpool and Manchester City coming up
The Villans could help the Reds in the title race by taking points off Manchester City in their final game. Likewise, Gerrard's side could also hand a blow to the Merseyside-based club's title hopes.
Klopp and Co have a few tricky fixtures coming between now and the end of the season. Among those games is an away trip to Aston Villa. The two sides were scheduled to face off on April 16th, but the match was postponed after the Reds qualified into the FA Cup semi-finals.