Liverpool have players and pedigree to win UEFA Champions League but Premier League top five must be the priority, says Steven Gerrard

React to this story

Steven Gerrard believes Liverpool "can go the distance" in the UEFA Champions League this season, but that the priority should be finishing in the top five of the Premier League. The former Reds captain said his old team have "the pedigree and players" to compete with Europe's best but, particularly following their spending last summer, they now need to qualify for next season's competition.

Highlights: Osimhen penalty hands Galatasaray victory over Liverpool

Video credit: TNT Sports

Steven Gerrard believes Liverpool have "the players and the pedigree" to win the UEFA Champions League this season but that securing their place in next year's competition is "the priority."

Arne Slot’s side have been drawn against Galatasaray in the round of 16, having finished third in the 36-team league phase after winning six of their eight fixtures.

However, they have been less successful in the defence of their Premier League title, sitting sixth in the table and 19 points adrift of leaders Arsenal.

Transfers

Salah set for Trabzonspor as club confirm negotiations and arrival in Turkey

10 hours ago

With the Premier League on course to gain an extra spot in next season’s Champions League, though, finishing in the top five will once again likely be enough to secure a place in Europe’s elite competition.

Before Liverpool’s first leg in Turkey on Tuesday, Gerrard has said that clinching a top-five spot in the Premier League must take precedence but doing so as soon as possible, while avoiding injuries, would make them "dangerous" in Europe.

The former captain said: "I think from a Liverpool point of view, it will be interesting if they can consolidate top four or five. Where the pressure’s off there, then they can prioritise the Champions League.

Highlights: Liverpool rout Frankfurt as Wirtz shines

Video credit: TNT Sports

"I think a fully fit Liverpool squad can go the distance, but I think they would just be outside the favourites. They would have to keep the best team available and fit.

"Especially after the spend last year, they have to finish in the Champions League places, but they’ve definitely got the pedigree and players to go toe-to-toe with any of the teams [in Europe]."

He added: "Liverpool have got the players and the pedigree as it goes on to get better and stronger, and then if they start prioritising it because they’ve already sorted the league position out for next year, Liverpool can be dangerous."

Liverpool last lifted the Champions League in 2019 under Jurgen Klopp, while they also reached the final under the German in 2018 and 2022.

Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah were key figures in each of those three European campaigns, and Gerrard believes the trio could be influential once again for the Reds this time around.

"I think Alisson and Van Dijk are huge; they have been for many years," he said. "I think Salah’s form this season hasn't been the same as last season, but I think he is capable of turning it on."

Liverpool’s trip to Istanbul will be their second of the season, having faced Galatasaray in the league phase in September.

The Turkish giants claimed a 1-0 win thanks to Victor Osimhen’s penalty after 13 minutes, but Gerrard still has Slot’s side as the favourites to advance because of the improvements made since the defeat, which was part of a four-match losing streak in all competitions.

"Liverpool were in a really tough place at the time," the former midfielder said. "I think Galatasaray will fancy it over two legs, but I fancy Liverpool to get that job done. They’re more efficient now."

Should Liverpool qualify for the quarter-finals, they will face either Chelsea or Paris Saint-Germain, who knocked the Reds out in last season’s last 16, en route to their first-ever Champions League title.

Luis Enrique’s side have so far failed to reach the heights they showed in the knockout stages last time around, once again being forced to navigate the play-offs after a mixed league phase.

But if the Ligue 1 outfit can replicate the step-up in performances they produced this time last year, Gerrard thinks they could be "unstoppable."

Discussing their 5-0 thrashing of Inter in the final in May, the former Liverpool man said: "That level and that performance, that wins it again."

Stream the Premier League, Men’s and Women’s FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League and more on TNT Sports and discovery+

Transfers