Liverpool’s Premier League and Champions League ambitions both suffered a dent last week following successive draws against Sevilla and Burnley. It is a long old season and there is plenty of time to recover, but the rigorous nature of competing on all fronts will take its toll on Liverpool’s squad this campaign. Here we analyse their chances in each competition:
Champions League
The Reds have been handed a kind draw and are still odd-on favourites to win Group E after their draw with Sevilla. The group also includes Spartak Moscow and Maribor, and Liverpool are 10/11 favourites to win it and just 1/8 to qualify for the knockout stage. If they can top of the group and secure a favourable last 16 tie then they should progress to the quarter-final, and then anything can happen. Of course, there are better teams in the mix, not least Real Madrid, PSG, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, but on their day Liverpool’s attack can go toe to toe with anyone’s. A decent run in the Champions League would give everyone at the club a real boost.
Premier League
Liverpool have gone to the sublime to the ridiculous to the mundane in the space of three games: battering Arsenal 4-0, slumping to a 5-0 defeat against Man City and then drawing at home to Burnley. Four points from that run of fixtures is not the end of the world, but they morale will be low after the last two games. They had a clear run at the Premier League last season and would have been right in the mix but for a dreadful period after the New Year. This year they have more commitments and will have to juggle European nights in midweek with weekend league fixtures. A European hangover caused them to drop points at the weekend and they will have to overcome that sort of thing if they are to challenge for the Premiership this season. Jurgen Klopp must use his squad carefully, and defensive reinforcements would be a real help in January. Aside from that City result, which could be attributed to an early sending off, they have a great record against top six clubs since Klopp took over. If they can become flat track bullies too, and improve at defending set pieces, then they could go on a real title tilt. The Manchester clubs are looking extremely impressive at present, but that might not last all season, as City are weak in central defence and Utd sometimes struggle to create chances. Check out sportsbetting ag, a site with strong ratings from independent sources and you will see the Reds are real outsiders. You can get 28/1 on Liverpool and that might interest fans now that Philippe Coutinho is on his way back and can link up with Mo Salah and Sadio Mane in a deadly attack.
FA Cup
You can get 12/1 on Liverpool to win the cup, the longest odds of any top six team, including Arsenal. That looks an interesting bet thanks to Liverpool’s aforementioned success against fellow top six teams. They just need to channel that intensity against the lesser sides and they will thrive. Arsenal have won the cup three times in the last four seasons, but Liverpool regularly beat them and you would have to fancy the Reds in a final against a team like that.
EFL Cup
Liverpool’s best chance of silverware was ended last night with a 2-0 defeat at Leicester, who they’ll be desperate to get revenge against on Saturday evening in the league.
