Gary Neville has once again stated that he believes Liverpool’s chances of winning the Premier League will increase if they sacrifice participation in the Champions League.
The former Manchester United defender stated something similar at the start of the season, comments Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was quick to dismiss.
Liverpool travel to Germany to face Bayern Munich next week in the last 16 of the Champions League with the score tied at 0-0 from the opening leg, and after the Reds relinquished top spot in the Premier League to Man City due to yesterday’s goalless draw in the Merseyside Derby, Neville reckons that being knocked out by the Bavarian giants will help their bid for the top flight title.
“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,” Neville said on the Sky Sports Gary Neville Podcast.
“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.”