A scoreless stalemate against rivals Everton saw Liverpool losing the top of the Premier League spot a couple of weeks back. They are now a point behind of Manchester City – the champions last season who are ruthlessly chasing a quadruple under Pep Guardiola’s tutelage. The Citizens have plenty of quality as well as depth after spending heftily in recent years which, in turn, has handed the Spaniard the luxury of rotating his options week in week out.
Jurgen Klopp, on the other hand, boosted the Reds up with substantial summer signings and transformed them into prime title contenders. Yet they lack the balance that City have and must now be relying upon the fixture list to claim the English crown after years of anguish, despair and heartbreaks.
The month of April will be key in shaping up Liverpool’s season provided they win against Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur within the next fortnight. The busy schedule next month includes a two-legged Champions League quarterfinal versus FC Porto which is being cited as a relatively easier draw compared to other English clubs.
Although they should not be taking a European quarterfinalist lightly, an advantage is indeed there for the Merseysiders considering Man City’s contest versus Spurs whom they would be playing thrice within ten days combining Premier League and this prestigious European event. Other than that, City will be locking horns with Crystal Palace, Burnley and rivals Manchester United on the road and might find it tricky to grind out results in a hostile ambience.
Their only other fixture in April is scheduled against relegation battlers Cardiff City at the Etihad to start the month with. While the Citizens are likely to claim a commanding win versus the Bluebirds, the possibility of dropping points at least once in the next month should galvanise the Reds to register an achievable all-win April.
Besides a couple of games against Porto, Liverpool would be hosting Chelsea at Anfield – one of Premier League’s greatest of fixtures which should be won considering the current conundrum in West London. A home tie versus bottom-placed Huddersfield Town is supposed to be a stroll in the park. However, a couple of away games at Cardiff and Southampton might be challenging due to their ongoing battle of escaping a relegation scare.
Yet all these fixtures are entirely winnable particularly when you are fighting for silverware, and the success is highly relying upon their focus as well as fitness during these final weeks.
