IT’S ALL SYSTEMS THIAGO!

Spanish star says Reds face ‘small miracle’ but will keep fighting to end for Champions League spot

THIAGO believes Liverpool can still qualify for the Champions League.

The midfielder scored his first goal for the Reds to secure victory over Aston Villa on Sunday. It was only their second win at Anfield in the last 11 matches.

It offers a glimmer of hope for a top-four finish, with Jurgen Klopp’s side now six points behind Leicester in fourth spot, but with a game in hand.

And the Spain star is adamant they will battle to the bitter end to pull off a miracle.

“We have to keep fighting until the end, because we have this small chance to qualify for the Champions League,” said Thiago. “We try to be as objective as possible.

There is a very small chance, but we had chances in the past. The door sometimes closed for us but the window is open, so we try to get through the window.

“So now we have to keep fighting for this small miracle that we can have.”

Thiago has taken time to settle at Anfield after suffering a serious injury in the Merseyside derby in his first start for the club in October.

His celebration was aimed at his team-mates on the bench and he explained how he has a bond with his new team-mates.

“For sure I have a special relationship with the guys there that didn’t play, so my goal was for the players on the bench,” he said. “When you are playing you always think about them, how they work and how they behave even when they don’t play, so the goal was for them. Virgil van Dijk, meanwhile, has been told he has a “dilemma” about playing in this summer’s Euros. Holland boss Frank De Boer has told the Dutch defender it is his decision if he wants to play. Liverpool star Van Dijk, 29, has not played since suffering a serious ACL injury in October’s Merseyside derby. He will not feature again this season for the Reds but has not been ruled out of the Euros yet.

De Boer said: “He has to decide, it is his career. I can imagine that he is in a dilemma.”

Meanwhile, Reds keeper Alisson and his wife Natalia are celebrating the birth of their third child, a baby boy (left).

It means the No.1 will be available for the game against Manchester United on Thursday.

Liverpool have been given the all clear by the local authority’s Grounds Safety Advisory Group to allow 10,000 fans to attend the final home game of the season against Crystal Palace.