Liverpool host struggling Saints, Forest v City in Champions League chase

Liverpool are near certainties to win the Premier League title but behind them the battle for Champions League places is intensifying.

Just six points separate faltering Nottingham Forest in third place from Aston Villa in 10th, with a top-five finish almost certain to secure a place in Europe’s top club competition next season.

Second-placed Arsenal are 13 points behind Liverpool but with a cushion over the chasing pack and will be keen to pile more misery on Manchester United after hammering PSV Eindhoven 7-1 on Tuesday.

AFP Sport looks at three talking points ahead of the weekend’s action:

Liverpool’s perfect visitors

Arne Slot openly admitted only fortune and the performance of goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s life had saved his side in a smash-and-grab 1-0 Champions League win at Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

READ MORE: Slot hails ‘lucky’ Liverpool after Elliott goal sinks PSG

With the return leg of the last-16 tie against the French champions to come at Anfield on Tuesday, Slot could not have hand picked a more accommodating fixture this weekend to lighten the load.

Bottom-placed Southampton travel to Merseyside with just nine points from 27 games.

So desperate is Saints’ position that their target is to avoid beating Derby’s unwanted record of 11 points — the lowest tally in Premier League history.

Slot will most likely rotate his side, especially after strong performances off the bench in Paris from Wataru Endo, Darwin Nunez and match-winner Harvey Elliott.

Man City face Forest crunch

Manchester City have been reduced to battling for a place in next season’s Champions League after a dismal campaign, and even that usually routine target is far from assured for Pep Guardiola’s men.

With six titles in the past seven seasons, City have rarely had to worry about their place in the Champions League in the Guardiola era.

Yet they will head to Forest on Saturday looking anxiously over their shoulders.

The troubled champions occupy fourth spot at present, one point behind third-placed Forest.

Fifth-placed Chelsea, just one point adrift of City, host lowly Leicester on Sunday, leaving City with little margin for error at the City Ground.

However, Guardiola’s men may be facing Forest at the right time.

The two-time European champions won six straight Premier League matches from early December as they seek to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 1980 but they have won just two of their past seven league games.

Arsenal aim to maintain goal spree

Arsenal could be 16 points behind Liverpool by the time they kick off against Manchester United on Sunday.

But with their title chances realistically over, Mikel Arteta’s side will use the trip to Old Trafford as a chance to prove they have rediscovered their attacking verve.

After scoring just two goals in their previous four games in all competitions, the Gunners’ attack finally exploded in the Netherlands this week as they virtually ensured progress to the Champions League quarter-finals.

Arsenal, who still lack a recognised striker in the absence of injured pair Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus and are missing wingers Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, hit seven goals for the first time in 13 years.

Adding to their goal glut against misfiring United would be a welcome sign that they can muster the firepower required to apply a little pressure to Liverpool while challenging for European glory.

Stuck down in 14th place in the Premier League and beset by defensive issues, the troubled Red Devils could be ideal opponents for Arteta’s men to fine-tune their makeshift attack.

Fixtures (1500 GMT unless stated)

Saturday

Nottingham Forest v Manchester City (1230), Brighton v Fulham, Crystal Palace v Ipswich, Liverpool v Southampton, Brentford v Aston Villa (1730), Wolves v Everton (2000)

Sunday

Chelsea v Leicester (1400), Tottenham v Bournemouth (1400), Manchester United v Arsenal (1630)

Monday

West Ham v Newcastle (2000)