BBC presenter Gary Lineker firmly believes that Liverpool have a shot of winning the title this season.

The Reds are one point behind league leaders Manchester City heading into the match at the Etihad on Saturday afternoon and, speaking on the Rest is Football podcast, Lineker said that Jurgen Klopp’s side do have a team capable of finishing top of the table:

“I know it’s early days, but they [Liverpool] are pushing for the title. They are doing alright. Manchester City have a few injuries at the moment, but they need a lot of injuries because they have an extraordinary squad with amazing strength in depth, but it’s not that easy to be consistently brilliant like they have been.”

“I expect they will be because Pep (Guardiola) is extraordinary and what he brings out of them. Probably along with Arsenal and Spurs, Liverpool have been the team generally apart from last season that have pushed City. I think they have got a chance.”

This weekend’s game will give us a strong indication of where Liverpool stand

While Klopp’s men have had a very good start to the season, there are doubts about whether this team is as resilient as previous seasons when they have managed to push City all the way for the title.

They have only lost once in the Premier League so far, but they were within seconds of losing to Luton Town in their last away game before Luis Diaz’s equaliser. With that being the case, a trip to the Etihad will be an acid test to see if they are good enough to compete for first place.

Klopp has some difficult selection decisions heading into the clash vs. City

Alexis Mac Allister has only just returned from South America after playing for Argentina during the international break. The last time the midfielder played in a Saturday lunchtime kickoff after travelling long distance, he was hauled off at half-time against Wolves. Will Klopp risk starting him at the Etihad?

With Andy Robertson injured, there are also question marks about Kostas Tsimikas’ ability to step in and perform to the required level. A more defensively-minded player like Joe Gomez could be selected instead. It will be interesting to see too whether Klopp is prepared to start Darwin Nunez in such a high-profile fixture.

Why are Liverpool struggling against newly-promoted teams? Watch the discussion on Shots!TV here