Looking to continue Sporting Life's fine form tipping Joe Rindl has two best bets as Liverpool take on Fulham.
Football betting tips: Liverpool v Fulham
2pts Liverpool -1 handicap at evens (General)
0.5pt Georginio Wijnaldum to score from outside the box at 40/1 (Sky Bet)
Liverpool suffered a fifth successive competitive home defeat for the first time in their history on Thursday night.
Mason Mount’s first-half winner provided a 13/5 winning selection for Sporting Life readers and tipster Tom Carnduff.
Chelsea were deserved victors, this wasn’t a fluky 1-0 win on the break. Instead it was a controlled tactical masterclass from Thomas Tuchel that exposed Liverpool’s defensive frailty.
The Reds are still an incredible side. This group of players will go down in the history books as Champions League winners, making over 97 points in two consecutive seasons.
And I’m wary of anyone saying they’re past it. There’s a reason Jurgen Klopp’s team are evens to finish in the top four this campaign with Sky Bet, the same as odds as Leicester, seven points and four places above them in the table.
But, even the most optimistic fan has to admit there’s a problem. Liverpool have taken one point from the last 21 on offer at home since Christmas and scored just two goals, one of which was a penalty.
Why do Fulham keep on losing?
Which brings us to Fulham, sitting in the final relegation spot with one away win in seven. Some teams like to get under an opponent's skin from the off, adopting a physical approach.
That isn’t the Cottagers. They play open, expansive football, rightly winning the expected goal battle in five of their last seven fixtures.
Against the traditional top six though, things begin to fall apart. Fulham have taken two points from seven against the league’s biggest, while they haven’t won at Anfield since 2012.
Sporting Life writer Graham Ruthven pointed out their problem brilliantly on twitter after their loss to Spurs in midweek. Their high press is being completely undermined by a low back-line.
As the attackers and midfielders push up, the defenders drop back, leaving this giant hole in the number 10 slot crying out for a creative opposition player to work his magic.
Best Liverpool bets
We all know Liverpool have suffered injuries. Joe Gomez, Virgil van Djik, Diogo Jota, Jordan Henderson… you could probably write an injured XI. To be honest though I’m fairly confident Liverpool’s current starting XI will have enough to beat Fulham on Sunday.
The bookies agree and despite their torrid form, the Reds are prohibitively priced at around the 1/3 mark.
Instead there’s real value to be found in the handicap markets, with LIVERPOOL AT -1 HANDICAP trading for evens on multiple sites. A chance to double your stake if Liverpool win by two clear goals - yes please!
As for the goalscorers, well we know Fulham have a huge hole in the middle of the park with defenders that love to back off. If the pass isn’t on, expect a Liverpool midfielder to have a pop from range.
The Reds are highly likely to start Georginio Wijnaldum who played the full 90 minutes against Chelsea. The Netherlands international averages almost a shot per game, with that figure likely to rise after Sunday.
WIJNALDUM TO SCORE FROM OUTSIDE THE BOX is a monstrous 40/1 with Sky Bet. I’d be throwing my loose change at that.
Liverpool v Fulham score prediction and best bets
- 2pts Liverpool -1 handicap at evens (General)
- 0.5pt Georginio Wijnaldum to score from outside the box at 40/1 (Sky Bet)
Score prediction: Liverpool 3-0 Fulham (Sky Bet odds: 8/1)
Odds correct at 11:00 GMT on 05/03/21
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