Barring a pretty big upset, Liverpool will solidify their Champions League spot on Sunday evening.
The Reds have won their last four Premier League games to move fourth in the Premier League table with one game left.
And with that one match coming against Crystal Palace at Anfield, Liverpool should, in theory, fall over the line.
Leicester, who welcome Spurs to the King Power, are fifth on goal difference and third-placed Chelsea are away to Aston Villa with a one-point cushion over both.
Victory will guarantee that Jurgen Klopp’s side finish at least fourth, but winning isn’t a foregone conclusion.
That’s because Liverpool lost five successive Premier League home games on the spin earlier in the campaign and nobody – not least Klopp – will be counting any chickens.
And Paul Merson, writing in The Daily Star, has suggested that the Anfield club could be victims of a ‘big twist’ on Sunday.
He said: “Chelsea and Leicester deserve to finish in the top four in my opinion – not Liverpool. And I still think there could be a big twist coming on the final day because I don’t think all three clubs are going to win. Liverpool have under-performed horribly this season.
“They’ve turned it on at the right time, but they shouldn’t even be in the race here. Liverpool aren’t guaranteed either. I thought Burnley were unlucky against them and if Christian Benteke and Wilf Zaha fancy it, Crystal Palace will cause them problems.”
If you told Liverpool a few weeks ago that victory over Palace at home on the final day would cement their top-four place, they’d have been delighted.
Merson is right in saying that the Reds probably ‘shouldn’t even be in the race’ and that’s due to some horrible, erratic form.
But there’s a big shot at redemption for Klopp’s side and they simply must make the most of it.
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