Verdict: Total goals under 2.5
Best odds: 13/10
Bookmaker: 888sport
Runaway league leaders Liverpool are set to play host to one of the surprises of the season in the form of the newly promoted Sheffield United on Thursday evening at Anfield.
Liverpool
There’s very little to be said about the team currently ruling Europe and the rest of the planet that hasn’t been said already. They are on a run of extreme ruthlessness in the Premier League, with 18 wins and a draw from the 19 games they’ve played so far. Much has been said about the way VAR ‘helped’ them win their last game, a 1-0 struggle against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, but the fact remains that the controversial technology made two right calls, correcting the referee’s ruling both when Sadio Mane’s goal was initially disallowed for an apparent handball from Adam Lallana, and when what would have been an equalizer from Pedro Neto was at first allowed to stand as Jonny Otto only just poked a toe offside in the buildup.
The quality of this team, as well as their achievements in the 2019 (missing out on the Premier League title by a single point, winning the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup), cannot be disputed by any kind of logic. Like them or hate them, they deserve to be where they are.
Team News
Manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed he’ll still be without the services of defender Joel Matip and midfielder Fabinho for a while, and the same goes for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Nathaniel Clyne (ACL). Young striker Rhian Brewster is out as well, as is winger Xherdan Shaqiri who was due to start against Wolves but was left out at the last minute with a thigh problem. Defender Dejan Lovren isn’t available either.
Sheffield United
Much like Liverpool’s previous opponents, Sheffield United have been among the positive surprises of the season in England’s top flight. For a newly promoted side, to sit in eighth place at the turn of the year, with no more than five defeats from 20 games is truly a fantastic achievement. The Blades are only two points behind Manchester United in fifth place and a point behind Tottenham Hotspur in sixth and Wolves in seventh, and qualifying for Europe next season seems a tangible prospect at this point. Manager Chris Wilder seems to have put together a healthy unit built from quality individuals, and his hard work is obviously producing magnificent results.
They’ve now faced every team in the league, and not one of them found it easy to play against them.
Team News
Wilder cannot count on Simon Moore, due to the goalkeeper suffering from a groin problem, while midfielder John Lundstram faces a late fitness test before a decision on his involvement is made.
Conclusion
The same goes for Liverpool, who managed to get away from Bramall Lane earlier in the season with all three points only due to Sheffield goalkeeper Dean Henderson, a Manchester United loanee, spilled a shot from Georginio Wijnaldum into his own net. Despite Liverpool’s quality and the fact that the game is now being played at Anfield, where so many arguably bigger teams fell recently, the contest is likely to prove just as tight as it was then.
Verdict: Total goals under 2.5
Best odds: 13/10
Bookmaker: 888sport
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