Michael Owen has heaped praise on Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino and said he has to start Sunday’s game against Manchester City.
The Brazilian has scored eight goals in 12 appearances for the Reds so far this season and was on target twice again on Tuesday night as Liverpool thrashed Rangers 7-1 in the Champions League.
Former Liverpool striker Owen believes that the 31-year-old has to start when Man City visit Anfield this weekend, given the form he is in.
Speaking after the Rangers win on BT Sport Owen said: ‘I can’t imagine he’s not playing.
He’s had such a good season and is in such good form that I don’t think Jurgen Klopp can leave him out at the weekend.’
Firmino’s performance was also lauded by fellow pundit Ally McCoist, who highlighted the intelligence of the forward and marvelled how Liverpool went through the gears in the second half against his former club.
‘I thought the game intelligence shown by Firmino was absolutely at a different level. McCoist said. ‘I thought he was outstanding tonight.
‘Liverpool took it to another level. They didn’t just step up one gear, they stepped up two or three gears and it was a mismatch in the second half.’
Rangers took the lead at Ibrox, when Scott Arfield opening the scoring after seventeen minutes. However, it was man of the match Firmino who levelled things up at half-time, before the Merseysiders ran riot in the second half.
Firmino added his second ten minutes after the restart before Darwin Nunez put the game beyond the Scottish side’s reach. Mohamed Salah then came off the bench to net an incredible six-minute hat-trick, and the scoring was rounded off by Harvey Elliott three minutes from time.
Jurgen Klopp’s side now switch attention back to Premier League duty and the visit of City, as the last season’s top two came face-to-face for the first time in the league this season.
However, Liverpool’s stuttering start to the season means they are already thirteen points behind the current champions, having played a game less than Pep Guardiola’s men.
Any hope of mounting any kind of title challenge may rest on Sunday’s result, which makes the possible inclusion of in-form Firmino all the more important.