KLOPP CAN LEAD REDS TO THE TITLE

SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON believes Liverpool can topple Manchester City and Arsenal in the Premier League title race.

The former England boss has backed the Reds to lift the trophy in May but admits he will be ‘sad’ to see Jurgen Klopp leave.

Eriksson, who recently revealed he has around a year to live due to cancer, will take charge of Liverpool against Ajax Legends today at Anfield to complete a lifelong dream to manage his boyhood team.

But he believes the current team can go all the way this season as the title race heads into the final straight after their quadruple quest was ended by Manchester United in the FA Cup last week.

Eriksson said: “Liverpool will win the league. They can’t win the FA Cup unfortunately. They play very good football.

“Young players coming, players which I never saw. Suddenly they put them in very important games as well. You need a lot of courage to do that.

“It’s nice to see that. Liverpool is great and Liverpool will be great, even in the future, looking at the young players.”

But the former England boss will be said to see Klopp leave at the end of the season.

He has yet to meet the German but he is in awe of the work he has done at Anfield and Klopp invited him to visit the club’s Kirkby training base to watch the senior side prepare for a game.

Sven said: “That’s a surprise for me (that he’s leaving).

“No, I haven’t spoken to him. But it was very, very kind of him to make an invitation. One day I will come.

“But he’s doing a great job. I am sad that he is going to leave.

“Liverpool has a brilliant manager in this moment. It’s sad that he leaves because he does a great job.

“I don’t know him, I never met him, but he’s a great motivator. It looks like that.”