Liverpool legend John Barnes is expecting his former club to finish in the top two this season, as long as the Reds can keep their most important players fit and available.

While he acknowledged that Chelsea and Manchester United have strengthened their squads during the summer, Barnes thinks Manchester City and Liverpool will be the two teams competing for the title:

“[Liverpool] absolutely do have it in them to win the league, but so do Manchester City. Manchester United are also looking strong, as do Chelsea, especially after signing (Romelu) Lukaku. My guess is that Liverpool and Man City will grab the two top spots followed by Man United and Chelsea – not necessarily in that order. I think as long as Liverpool can keep everybody fit, or at least the main players, that in itself should go along way.”

With the likes of Jordan Henderson, Thiago and Curtis Jones expected to return against Burnley this weekend, manager Jurgen Klopp may only have one player, Andy Robertson, on the treatment table.

Considering he had at least half a dozen injuries at any one time during the majority of last season, that should help the Reds mount a serious title challenge.

It will certainly be a close-run thing, though, due to the quality of the four clubs that Barnes mentions, and it would be a big surprise if any team ran away with the league.