Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted that failing to qualify for a place in Europe could prove to be a "blessing" for the Merseyside outfit.
The Premier League club are attempting to secure a place in next season's Europa League by finishing fifth in the table, but the Northern Irishman has revealed that he won't be disappointed if they fail to do so.
"There are two arguments," Rodgers told the Liverpool Echo. "As a club we want to be in there. We really enjoyed the European football this season after it had been missing for a year and I know the supporters love the travel.
"But you could argue that a season free of European football would give us a greater chance of finishing in a much higher position in the league - of competing for the top four which is a really difficult task with the teams up there and the finances involved.
"We would love to be in there and we want to finish as high as we possibly can, but it won't be the end of the world if we don't qualify for Europe. If it doesn't happen then it could end up being a blessing for us."
The Reds are currently seven points adrift of fifth-placed Arsenal with six games left to play in the campaign.
Danielle Joynson
