Former Arsenal and Manchester City defender Bacary Sagna has tipped Liverpool to miss out on a Champions League spot this campaign.
The Reds have made an underwhelming start to the campaign, taking just nine points from their first six games.
Jurgen Klopp’s side are already nine points behind leaders Arsenal and they were also humiliated by Napoli in their last Champions League fixture, losing 4-1.
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Liverpool have battled Manchester City for the Premier League title over the past five years, though they’ve only come out on top once.
But clubs like Arsenal and Tottenham appear to have closed the gap this season thanks to their progress in the last 12 months and their signings in the transfer window.
Sagna believes the north London duo will finish in the top three with champions Man City but he fears Liverpool will miss out on a top four spot to Chelsea.
‘I do think Liverpool are the team who could fall out of the top four this season based on the opening seven matches so far, simply because they have dropped quite a few points already,’ Sagna told Lord Ping.
‘They are already nine points behind Arsenal in first and, mentally, it is hard to close the gap when all the teams above them keep winning. It will be a test for the players, and I think this is something new for most of them.
‘I think Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City will definitely finish in the top four. Then you only have one spot left, which will be fought between Liverpool and Chelsea.
‘Liverpool can’t afford to drop any more points at the moment. Now, the league will really go quickly before it breaks for the World Cup.
‘Liverpool don’t want to be in a position where they are a long way behind when the league stops in November. It won’t be easy to restart the season after the World Cup – they need to stay within touching distance of the other teams.’
