Liverpool remain top of the English Premier League after securing 60 points from their opening 23 games of the 2018-19 campaign.

However, Manchester City are breathing down their neck, with only four points separating both teams.

The defending champions have been somewhat handed an advantage, as they will play four of their next five league games first, with Liverpool playing theirs the next day.

Premier League legend Alan Shearer believes the Anfield outfit would rather play first in order not to have much pressure on them should City win their own games.

“Yeah, if you’re given a choice, you’d much rather go out and play first, get the points in the bag and say “over to you Liverpool, we’ve done our job, we’ve got our three points, we gonna now put the pressure on you, we can sit, relax and watch you”,” Shearer said on the Premier League show.

“That’s the way I’d prefer to do it if you’re given a choice anyway.”

“You’d much rather go out and play first.”@AlanShearer looks at the next 5 #PL fixtures for @LFC and @ManCity pic.twitter.com/vBCIEQK4NG

— Premier League (@premierleague) January 22, 2019

Liverpool play Leicester City (H), West Ham (A), Bournemouth (H), Manchester United (A) and Watford (H) next, but only the clash against the Cherries come before Manchester City’s next five fixtures.

The Etihad outfit face Newcastle United (A), Arsenal (H), Chelsea (H), Everton (A) and West Ham (H), and despite the fact that the games should test their credentials, that they play first before Liverpool could end up being a huge advantage as far as pressure goes.