Paul Merson believes Arne Slot will be sacked by Liverpool if he fails to qualify for the Champions League this season, and feels he could go on to become the Tottenham manager.
The Reds have had a mixed campaign in the Premier League so far and enter the clash sitting sixth in the table despite being the reigning champions, with lots of speculation surrounding his long-term future at Anfield. Spurs, on the other hand, sit just one point above the relegation zone, and are considering sacking their interim boss Igor Tudor if he suffers a fifth consecutive defeat.
But while Liverpool are the favourites for the game, Merson believes that they must finish inside the top four for him to have any chance of saving his job.
Slot Could Be Tottenham Manager Without a Top 4 Finish
Liverpool remain in the hunt for silverware as they are set to face Man City in the FA Cup quarter-finals, while they look to overturn a 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray in the Champions League last 16 later this week, but Merson feels that wouldn't be enough to save the Dutchman's job.
"If he won the FA Cup, but didn't finish in Champions League positions it wouldn't make any difference at all," Merson said while speaking live on Soccer Saturday.
"I think Liverpool have got to get in the Champions League with the [financial] fair play rule. The more you get into the Champions League, the better quality player you can bring in.
"I think they need to get a centre half and they'll be right back up there again next year. They've just been off it this year, it's been weird really, and it is hard when you've won the league like they have.
"They've been in a fight the last two or three years as well, new players come in. Again, they're playing for Liverpool, one of the biggest clubs in the world. It's taken them time to handle it, and they're top-quality players, but the club's just a huge football club.
"He will have to get in the top four, I would have thought, otherwise he'd be [the next] Tottenham manager."
Slot to Tottenham?
It is worth remembering that Slot was strongly linked with a move to Tottenham before he took over from Jurgen Klopp at Anfield, so there could certainly be something in that conversation.
Whether Slot gets sacked or not remains to be seen, but there is a lot of talk around Xabi Alonso's availability and the fact FSG are huge fans of his, so if they opt to make a change, it's possible that the Dutch coach comes into the thinking in north London.