Gary Neville and Roy Keane have given contrasting verdicts on the Premier League title race as Manchester City and Liverpool engage in one of the most enthralling dogfights of recent years.
City, the reigning champions, have the slight edge heading into the final nine fixtures of the season with a one-point advantage over the Reds at the top of the table. In mid-January, this lead was 14 points but Pep Guardiola 's side opened the door to their rivals by dropping points in three of their last seven games.
Meanwhile, Liverpool put together a stunning run of nine consecutive victories including, most recently, a 2-0 win at Arsenal to close the gap. Neville saw the performance at the Emirates as a statement of Jurgen Klopp 's intent and he maintains the title will return to Anfield in May.
"I think they [Liverpool] are unbelievably dangerous and I think they're going to do something pretty special this season," the Manchester United legend told Sky Bet's The Overlap Live Fan Debate. "When I watched them against Arsenal, there is nothing I saw that didn't tell me they're going to go and win the title. That is a title-winning performance." Neville also lauded Liverpool's strength and depth which has allowed them to reach the late stages of Champions League and FA Cup having already clinched the League Cup.
"I think Liverpool will win the league," he added, before referencing Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz. "They're dangerous in the other two competitions and I think they'll do something special because of those five strikers they've got.
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"That midfield by the way, when people see the midfield at Liverpool as maybe their weakness - I think it's their strength. The back and the front are so exceptional. The two full-backs (Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold) are forward all the time, the front three are up there. The three in midfield, because of their discipline - Fabinho, Thiago, Henderson - their subservient nature to the rest of the players means that they hold everything together.
"They're going to do something dangerous this season and it's scary as a Man United fan to say that. I really do worry that they will go on and win three or four trophies, it would concern me." Despite Neville's lavish praise for Liverpool, Keane insists he still trusts Guardiola to get City "over the line". The former midfielder said: "I'm still going with City (to win the league). We've mentioned Klopp, as if Pep doesn't know how to get over the line in these big games and in championships. Let's not forget what an unbelievable manager he is, I still think City will do it."
The Overlap is a YouTube channel from Gary Neville in partnership with Sky Bet.
