Mark Lawrenson has predicted Liverpool to draw 1-1 with Watford when the sides clash at Vicarage Road on Saturday.
The BBC pundit, who famously didn’t predict a defeat for the Reds across two seasons (Source: The Sun) boldly backed Jurgen Klopp’s side to drop points courtesy of the Hornets.
Lawrenson pointed out that he believes the Reds weren’t at their best at the moment and added that with the team’s Champions League clash with Paris St Germain coming up then it complicated Saturday’s match for them.
“It does not matter that Liverpool are not at their best at the moment – that is not a problem – but their preparation for this game might be,” wrote the pundit in his predictions for BBC Sport.
“The Reds are obviously not the only team who have seen all their players disappear on international duty over the past fortnight but Jurgen Klopp has an important Champions League match at Paris St-Germain on Wednesday to think about too, which complicates things a little bit for the weekend.
“Taking all of that into consideration, I am going to go for a draw. I just have the feeling Watford will be lying in wait for them, and they will see Liverpool as a scalp – just like they did with Spurs when they beat them in September.”
OPINION
Lawrenson explains his prediction but it’s still very bold to back anything but a Liverpool win at this point. While the pundit is right to suggest that the Reds haven’t been firing on all cylinders at the end of the day they have only dropped points on three occasions. The Reds have drawn with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City this season, while impressively winning all of the other league games. So while Watford are having a great campaign by all accounts, it’s hard to see them joining that trio once Saturday’s clash draws to a close. The Hornets are capable of being a thorn in the Reds’ side, it’s just hard to see Klopp allowing his team to drop the ball. If things aren’t going his sides way at half-time then you can imagine the German manager utilising his packed bench to change things up in order to make sure the trip to Vicarage Road sees his side take all three points.
