Fourth a Possibility for Reds with Finishing Line in Sight

With six games left of their domestic season, Liverpool fans will be happy at how the campaign is ending, despite another trophyless, forgettable season on Merseyside.

With a dozen losses already under their belt, the Reds have known for a while that their chances of challenging for the Premier League title had faded long ago; unacceptable home defeats to Blackpool (3rd October) and Wolves (29th December) coupled with a dire away form earlier in the season – one win from their first 11 games on the road– saw former manager Roy Hodgson to be relieved of his duties after just 29 games.

However, the ship has been steadied under Kenny Dalglish. The interim manager is still yet to confirm if he will be in the hot-seat next season, but after impressive wins over Manchester United (6th March) and Manchester City (11th April), he has answered all critics that he can keep up with the modern game after being absent for a decade.

They will have to face the last few fixtures without Captain Steven Gerrard, who has had an injury-plagued season for his club. The England midfielder has played just 1869 minutes of domestic football this season, compared to 2850 last season. With Gerrard 31 next month, both Liverpool and England will be hoping for another few years out of him before he decides to call it a day.

Liverpool’s Premier League run-in starts with a daunting trip to Arsenal this Sunday, a match that the Reds haven't won since Titi Camara's winning goal back in 2000. With Arsenal only left in the Premier League title chase after elimination from Cup and European competitions, both sides will be hoping for three points to close down sides above them.

Home ties versus Birmingham and Newcastle follow – the latter expected to be Andy Carroll’s first match against the club he left back in January.

A tricky away tie against a battling Fulham side is followed up by the penultimate game of the season – a home tie against Tottenham. This match could decide who finishes 4th to qualify for a Champions League place and who misses out in 5th, making do with Europa League football.

The last game of the season, against relegation-threatened Aston Villa could be one of the easier matches as 18 points are still up for grabs between now and the end of the season.

Failure to finish in the top five would mean no European football for the Reds for the first time since the 1999/2000 season.

Form

Premier League:

Home: WWDWW (10 goals for, 2 against)
Away: WWLWL (8 goals for, 5 against)

Remaining Premier League Games:

17/04/11 vs. Arsenal (a)
23/04/11 vs. Birmingham City (h)
01/05/11 vs. Newcastle United (h)
09/05/11 vs. Fulham (a)
15/05/11 vs. Tottenham Hotspur (h)
22/05/11 vs. Aston Villa (a)