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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Tom Cavilla

Liverpool continue to prove 20 BBC pundits wrong after nightmare predictions

Liverpool's hunt for the quadruple remains alive after securing progression to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Wednesday evening.

The Carabao Cup has already been claimed and the Reds are still going strong in both the Champions League and Premier League.

Not many had given Jurgen Klopp's side hope of catching Manchester City at the turn of the year, having surrendered a two-goal lead away to Chelsea on January 2 which left Liverpool 11 points adrift of Manchester City but with a game in hand.

The Sky Blues were continuing to find ways to win and looked to be heading for back-to-back top-flight titles, though the Reds have continued to go under the radar and capitalised after the league leaders suffered a shock loss to Tottenham Hotspur.

Six points currently separates the two teams, though this can be reduced to three points should West Ham fall to defeat at Anfield tomorrow afternoon.

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When previewing the campaign before a ball had been kicked, Liverpool were written off by a number of pundits due to their lack of squad depth.

Out of 20 BBC pundits, which included Alan Shearer and Martin Keown, fourth place was the most common selection for Liverpool, with nine pundits predicting them to only just secure a Champions League place.

Based on a system of receiving four points for being backed to finish first, three points for second place, two points for third and one point for coming fourth, Liverpool racked up a total score of 32 points among the 20 pundits.

Manchester United, meanwhile, earned a tally of 33 points and were therefore predicted to finish third based on their average score.

Ex-Leeds United striker Jermaine Beckford boldly forecasted that the Reds would miss out on the top four altogether, having tipped Man City, Chelsea, Manchester United and Leicester City to all finish ahead of them.

Explaining his choice for the Foxes, who are currently 12th in the table, to secure Champions League qualification, Beckford said: "They are a breath of fresh air in terms of how much they invest in their squad compared to the teams who finished above them last season.

"They still spend some money of course, but they spend it so well. Their recruitment is absolutely brilliant, and I am a huge fan of the way Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers sets up his teams and gets everyone working hard together."

Former Everton and Chelsea winger Pat Nevin selected Liverpool to finish fourth, ruling Klopp's side out of the title race due to the state of the squad.

"Liverpool still don't look like they have a big enough squad to win the league, but then I've said that about them before," he said.

"They have got Virgil van Dijk back now, which makes a massive difference, but I kind of think they need another serious striker."

Also unconvinced of the Reds' ability was Micah Richards, who added: "Diogo Jota did really well last season, and his injury came at a bad time for them. It might take a while for them to work out their best combination in attack, or what system to go with."

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