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Manchester United legend Andy Cole believes Liverpool will finish in the top four come the end of the Premier League season.
Many believe Manchester City and Arsenal are the only locks for a top-four finish this term. Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are expected to fight for the remaining two spots. Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion could spring a few surprises as well.
Given Liverpool's lack of depth in midfield and the fact that they will play in the UEFA Europa League this season, many believe they could struggle to make the top four. However, Cole feels the Reds will end the Premier League season by sealing direct qualification into the UEFA Champions League.
The Englishman told betting site Betfred:
“Being honest, I can’t look past Manchester City winning the title this season. I’ll say Arsenal second and either of Manchester United and Liverpool to finish third and fourth. I believe Chelsea will finish fifth and Tottenham will finish sixth.”
Cole, who scored 121 goals in 275 matches and won 11 titles with Manchester United between 1995 and 2002, left out Newcastle from his top-six prediction. Elaborating on the same, he said:
“This season is a massive season for Newcastle United. If you listen to Eddie Howe, I believe the team are further along in their project as they would have expected to have been at this point and it will be really interesting to see how they do with an increased fixture list.
“My top six predictions could be very different to the way it actually ends up, so there’s a decent chance for everybody.”
Last season, City won their third Premier League title in a row on the way to an unprecedented treble. Arsenal finished second, while Manchester United and Newcastle rounded out the top four. Spurs and Chelsea endured disappointing campaigns, finishing eighth and 12th respectively.
How have Andy Cole's top-six picks started the 2023-24 Premier League season?
Manchester City are currently the only team with a perfect record in the Premier League, winning all of their first three matches. They have beaten Burnley 3-0, Newcastle United 1-0 and Sheffield United 2-1 so far.
Tottenham Hotspur currently sit third with two wins and a draw from their three games. Ange Postecoglou's men drew 2-2 with Brentford before defeating Manchester United and AFC Bournemouth by 2-0 margins.
Liverpool are fourth and Arsenal are fifth, with both teams holding the same win-loss slate as Spurs.
The Reds drew 1-1 with Chelsea to start their Premier League campaign before beating Bournemouth 3-1 and Newcastle 2-1. The Gunners, on the other hand, defeated Nottingham Forest 2-1 in their opener and edged Crystal Palace 1-0 after that. They drew their last game 2-2 with 10-man Fulham.
Manchester United and Chelsea occupy eighth and 10th place respectively in the current Premier League standings. The Red Devils beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 to start the season before losing 2-0 to Spurs. They staged a comeback to beat Forest 3-2 last weekend.
Chelsea, on the other hand, have drawn 1-1 with Liverpool, lost 3-1 to West Ham United and beat Luton Town 3-0 so far in the league.
