Man Utd surges! Paul Merson praises Manchester United over Liverpool in the battle for UEFA Champions League qualification.
On 6 Feb 2026 GMT+7, Paul Merson believes Manchester United is the favorite to secure a spot in next season's UEFA Champions League, seeing the "Red Devils" as having a significant advantage over both Liverpool and Chelsea.
Arne Slot's team faces a tough challenge chasing a top-four finish. Although they recently defeated Newcastle, Liverpool have struggled to maintain consistent winning form after a strong start with five consecutive wins, managing only six victories in their last 19 league matches, which has derailed their title defense.
Currently, Liverpool sit 6th in the table, trailing Manchester United by 2 points and Chelsea by 1 point in the race for a top-four spot.
Merson told Sportskeeda, “Right now, I see Manchester United as the favorites to finish in the top five. The win over Fulham was very important.”
“Also, they play only one match per week, which is a huge advantage compared to Liverpool and Chelsea. So, I have to favor them as the front-runners, even though the points are still close.”
However, Merson believes the top-four battle will remain intense and expects all three teams to win their matches this weekend.
The Sky Sports pundit predicted Manchester United and Chelsea to beat Spurs and Wolves respectively, both by 3-1 scores, while also expecting Liverpool to defeat Manchester City by the same scoreline.
“I’d be very shocked if Liverpool lose this game,” he said.
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