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Despite the issues that have derailed Liverpool's Premier League title hopes, in Europe this season, the performances have been less volatile under boss Arne Slot
Ex-Liverpool midfielder Bolo Zenden feels the Reds can win the Champions League this season(Image: Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)
Former Liverpool midfielder Bolo Zenden believes the Reds can win the Champions League this season despite the issues that have dogged the team’s campaign.
Arne Slot’s side currently sits sixth in the Premier League table and has won just two of its last eight league matches. Given the disappointing nature of Liverpool’s title defense, speculation continues to surround Slot’s position.
However, winning the biggest prize in European soccer would certainly go some way to easing those concerns, and the Liverpool head coach will be encouraged by the performances in the competition so far this season. Slot’s fellow Dutchman believes the Reds are capable of going all the way in the Champions League.
READ MORE: Luis Diaz has had one difficulty since 'good decision' to leave LiverpoolREAD MORE: Liverpool schedule confirmed as Arne Slot's side faces same team twice in 4 days“If you look at the teams that are still in the competition, because there are a few obviously out, I think Bayern Munich and Arsenal are looking really solid,” he told The Redmen TV in a recent interview.
“We’ve seen Arsenal, obviously, also in the Premier League doing really well, but then again, the favourites don’t always win this tournament, and Liverpool on their day, or on the night, can always produce something special.
“So why not? But it’s not going to be an easy road, and it also depends, obviously, on the draw that comes along.
Zenden thinks Liverpool could still go all the way in Europe(Image: Stefan Koops / EYE4images/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“We’ve seen last year that, for example; Paris Saint-Germain just qualified on matchday eight and in the end they won the competition by 5-0 in the final.
“So it would have, no-one would have expected this. So yeah, of course, anything is possible.”
Liverpool’s league struggles have not always been replicated in the Champions League this term.
Although it lost to Galatasaray - the team it could face in the last-16 - and PSV Eindhoven, the Reds won six of eight matches in the league phase and finished third in the table.
Liverpool has won six of its eight Champions League matches this season(Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool has also shown it can go toe-to-toe with Europe’s elite, as home wins over Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid highlight, plus impressive victories at Eintracht Frankfurt, Inter Milan and Marseille.
Should the six-time European champions go deep in the competition, it would certainly not be the first time a disappointing domestic campaign has been overshadowed by Champions League success. That was the case in 2005, when Rafael Benitez’s side finished fifth in the Premier League but memorably beat AC Milan in the Istanbul final.
The Reds will discover which last-16 opponents it will face next week. Galatasaray leads Juventus 5-2 after the first leg of the play-offs, while Atletico and Club Brugge drew 3-3. Liverpool will be paired against one of the two play-off winners in next Friday’s draw.
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