Bookies are offering odds of 40/1 that Manchester United can scupper any plans Liverpool has of playing in the Champions League next season.
When you look at United’s current position joint 6th in the league with Everton 11 points behind Liverpool the Red Devils chances of qualifying for next seasons Champions League look decidedly slim.
This however does not take into account what would happen should they manage to win this seasons Champions League thereby automatically qualifying for next season while knocking who ever should finish fourth in the Premiership out, which at this moment looks like arch rivals Liverpool.
For this scenario to play out The Evening Standard is saying that bookmakers William Hill are offering 40/1 and saying: “Sir Alex Ferguson left Manchester United having usurped Liverpool as the most successful team in English football history.
“Now he has left, Liverpool will feel like they have the upper hand although it would be a very ‘United’ thing to do, letting Liverpool scoop the final Champions League spot before snatching it away from them again – but fear not Liverpool fans, the odds suggest this is a distant possibility.”
While William Hill sees this as a distant possibility Wayne Rooney does not speaking ahead of tonight’s first-leg last-16 match against Olympiakos in Greece the England international was full of confidence.
“I think we certainly have the quality in the team to go really far,” the United striker said. “The main aim is to get the right result against Olympiakos and then take each game as it comes.”
A similar result played out in the 2011-2012 season when Tottenham finished in fourth place four points ahead of Chelsea, but the Blues went on to win the Champions League leaving Spurs once again the conciliation of playing in the Europa League.
“The year Chelsea won it, they nearly went out of the competition about three times, so you just have to keep going, whether or not we get the right result here [at Olympiakos].”
He added: “We’re looking to get the victory to take home with us and then try to progress to the quarter-finals. That’s our aim”
