Callaghan tips Reds to challenge Chelsea

LIVERPOOL legend Ian Callaghan is sure clashes with Manchester United will soon be more about scrapping over second place.

For much of Callaghan’s 19-year Anfield career that ended in 1978 and the period since, the north west giants have gone head to head for the game’s major honours.

But the emergence of Chelsea under big-spending Roman Abramovich sees Jose Mourinho’s men out of sight at the top of the Premiership.

Ahead of the sides’ meeting at Old Trafford on Sunday, Liverpool are 17 points behind Chelsea but, with two games in hand, they are a point and a place behind second-placed United.

The Red Devils, so dominant in the 1990s, have won the Premiership just once in the past four seasons while Liverpool have never won the Premiership, the last time they were champions was in 1990 - when they won the old First Division.

But Callaghan, who has made more appearances for Liverpool than anyone else, is certain that Rafael Benitez’s men will launch a more sustained bid for the title next term.

And he thinks without a start to the season that saw the Reds win just once in their first seven matches, they would still be pressurising Mourinho’s side now.

He said: “This season Liverpool had a bit of a sluggish start but if they’d got off to a flyer, we’d have been up there with Chelsea. Mr Benitez has got a fantastic squad and he keeps adding to it. At this particular moment, we’re capable (of challenging) certainly for next season.

“There is that rivalry with United and at the moment, we are the in-form team and I can’t see us getting beaten.

“If Chelsea go on the way they’re going, second place would be great but we keep hoping that Chelsea will have a blip and there are still a lot of games left.”

While it may have little bearing on the destination of the Premiership title this season, Callaghan is loath to play down the importance of this fixture and is looking forward to seeing Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney on the same pitch.

“It’s the second biggest game of the season,” Callaghan said. “The Everton game with two Liverpool sides is the big one but next to that is Man United.

“We’ve always had great respect for one another going back to the days when I played against the likes of (Dennis) Law, (George) Best and (Bobby) Charlton.

“It was always a buzz to go there and I’m sure it is for players today.

“Rooney’s a special player, an incredible player, but looking through our team, I feel the same about Steven Gerrard. What a talent and one of the best players in the world.”