Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , former Chelsea and Liverpool defender Glen Johnson has given his predictions ahead of his former clubs upcoming fixtures including Liverpool vs Wolves which is happening twice and Liverpool vs West Ham.
Johnson has given his perspective on the race for Europe and if former club's Liverpool and Chelsea have the edge or if it's Aston Villa's to lose, he's also scored Liverpool's season so far and spoken candidly about where the club should focus their attention to close out the season.
The ex- England full-back has also given his perspective on whether Liverpool can still win the Champions League in 2026 and if the club are better set up for success in Europe .
Liverpool Predictions
Prediction: Liverpool vs Wolves
For Liverpool , their games against Wolves are all about winning and moving on. But these are the ones that can also be potential banana skins. Any football game at this level, if you take it for granted, then they're the ones that bite you on the backside.
Wolves have been performing, but they're in the kind of mess they're in because they haven't been winning. But Liverpool just need to do what they do best, prepare for this as if they're, well, basically show Wolves respect.
Because any team you don't show respect to, you can lose. Of course, they're huge favourites for it, but that only counts once you've won the game.
Prediction: Liverpool vs West Ham
Will this go down as the weekend that tipped the balance in Liverpool's favour over Chelsea and Aston Villa ? Any win in the Premier League , regardless of the opponent, is obviously the same three points and hard to get. So, yeah, they've probably got to go on a really good run now and hope a few teams around them drop points.
The top four are there for a reason, and they don't drop too many. So, I think Liverpool need to go on a decent run, really put their name in that hat, and just go on the best run possible from now until the end of the season.
Race For Europe
Liverpool vs Chelsea vs Aston Villa?
Are Liverpool now better positioned than Chelsea and Aston Villa in the race for a Champions League spot? I think they've all shown their moments. At times, they looked nailed on for the top four, then you'd have a surprise performance where you think, where the hell did that come from?
But there are times where Aston Villa look like they could be title contenders, same with Chelsea , same with Liverpool . And then obviously it's just the consistency that lets people down, or lets the point tally down.
So yeah, I think it'd be a tough one to call where Liverpool will be at the end of the season. But absolutely, three great teams, and obviously surrounding teams that we haven't even discussed, it's probably wide open at the moment.
Scoring Liverpool’s Season
How would I score Liverpool’s season so far out of 10? It's quite hard to say right now because they are still in contention for everything other than probably the title race. If the season finished right now, and they hadn't won a trophy, you'd probably rate it as five out of ten by their standards.
However, it's difficult to judge right now because in three months' time, we might be saying they finished fourth and have won two trophies. Now, all of a sudden, it's an eight out of ten. But as we stand right now, I'd probably say it's around about a five.
The Focus Should Be....
Should Liverpool prioritise their cup game against Wolves? It's a tough one. If you lose against Wolves in the FA Cup, you're out. If you lose a league match, the league technically isn't over. So, if I could only pick one win, I'd choose the FA Cup match because, in the league, you have time to recover those three points. Once you're out of the cup, that's it.”
Champions League
Champions League Goals
We know that Liverpool are more than capable of winning it. Obviously, you've got other fantastic sides around you; of course, they wouldn't be there otherwise. But you've only got to take it one game at a time.
So, technically, it's kind of easier to do, but obviously, it's not easy at all because you've got to beat giants every week, or every round. But yes, I think at the moment, the way it's going, you probably would say the Champions League is your best route as we stand right now.
Are Liverpool More Suited To Europe?
To be honest, Europe has always suited Liverpool . They probably haven't played a Champions League game as the underdogs for five years. They've probably been a favourite for every single game they've played, and deservedly so.
So they're always huge and respected, obviously, in that competition. So those big European nights suit Liverpool as a football club down to the ground, regardless of who they pick and play. It's something that Anfield just transforms.
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