West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce: Liverpool will miss out on a top-four finish

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Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are all in the running for a place in the top four of the Premier League this season.

West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has predicted in The London Evening Standard that Liverpool will miss out on a top-four finish in the Premier League this season.

Liverpool are currently fifth in the league table with 51 points from 28 matches, just two points behind fourth-placed Manchester United.

Arsenal are third in the standings at the moment with 54 points, while Tottenham Hotspur in sixth and Southampton in seventh have 50 and 49 points respectively.

“We’ll need all our energy tomorrow against an Arsenal team who, for me, will finish in the top four this season,” Allardyce wrote in The London Evening Standard.

“Yes, Liverpool are knocking on the door because Brendan Rodgers has found a way to shut the back door but — at the other end of the pitch — I’m not sure they will score enough goals to force their way into the top four.

“Manchester United may not be playing the sort of football their fans have been used to but they do score goals, so my top four would include them as well.”

Could Sam Allardyce’s top-four prediction come true?

Arsenal always seem to finish in the top four of the Premier League, and given the form that they are in at the moment, one should not be surprised if they do so yet again.

The battle for the fourth and final Champions League spot, though, is not as straightforward as Allardyce seems to suggest.

Liverpool are in good form, and the players appear to have more confidence heading into the final weeks of the season.

The return of star striker Daniel Sturridge has been a huge boost, but more importantly perhaps, attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho is playing well at just the right time and the defence is looking strong again.

United under Louis van Gaal have picked up points without playing well, but they remain vulnerable at the back.

Tottenham and Southampton are very much in the running for a top-four finish, and given how the Saints have maintained their challenge, it would not be wise to write off their chances.