Callum Wilson tells Liverpool to "relax" in race for top four with Reds on top form

Newcastle striker Callum Wilson has joked that Liverpool must 'relax' in the race for Champions League football.

The Reds look to be ending a poor season on a high as they eye a late surge to finish inside the top four.

A run of six consecutive victories have put them back in contention for European football - a feat which seemed unthinkable just one month ago.

But Jurgen Klopp's side must edge past either Manchester United or Newcastle to book their place in next season's competition.

They are just one point off fourth-placed United and three away from the Magpies. However, both clubs crucially have a game in hand over Liverpool.

Nevertheless, the Merseyside outfit are a bit too close for comfort for Wilson's liking, as Newcastle eye Champions League football for the first time in over 20 years.

What did he say?

Speaking on the BBC’s Footballer’s Football Podcast, Wilson joked: “Liverpool need to relax! I said I could smell [a top-four finish] a couple of weeks ago. Now that scent is gone. I don’t know where it’s gone. I can’t find it!”

Newcastle's destiny remains firmly in their own hands, but any slip-up from here until the end of the season could prove costly.

Wilson added that his side's 2-0 defeat to Arsenal over the weekend showed they "still have a long way to go", insisting they need "need three wins out of four" before they can celebrate.

Eddie Howe's side travel to Elland Road on Saturday to face relegation-threatened Leeds next in the Premier League. While Liverpool play Leicester two days later in a must-win game for both sides.

Only time will tell how the race for Champions League football will eventually pan out, but every point counts at this late stage.