Liverpool get Sunday's footballing action underway as they welcome Burnley to Anfield. Tom Carnduff has two best bets.
Recommended bets
1pt Ben Mee to be shown a card at 4/1
1pt James Tarkowski to be shown a card at 9/2
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Liverpool v Burnley (Anfield, 1200 GMT, BT Sport 1)
By the time this game comes around, Manchester City should be four points clear at the top with victory over Watford in Saturday's late kick-off.
The Reds though will be confident of victory themselves as they host a Burnley side who still face the possibility of relegation. The Clarets will be hopeful that their current five-point gap over Cardiff will be enough to see them stay up.
Anfield is an absolute fortress for Jurgen Klopp's side and the run in front of their own supporters should continue on Sunday. They're yet to be beaten at home, winning 12 of their 14 games and conceding just seven goals.
They hammered Watford 5-0 in their last home league outing and should have little trouble in getting past Burnley. Sean Dyche's men have seen performances pick up recently, although they come into the game on the back of consecutive defeats.
That's why you can get a huge price of 21/1 with BetVictor on an away win here, Liverpool can be found at a general price of 2/11 and a draw at a best price of 15/2.
The value may well be in cards given how Burnley have picked up the most yellows in the division. Their 59 cautions, alongside two reds, gives them one of the worst disciplinary records in the division.
Even in a one-sided game we should see a few cautions going the way of the away team. With Liverpool so heavily odds-on for victory, backing Burnley to catch the referee's attention is the route to explore.
Betting guide
Score prediction: Liverpool 3-0 Burnley (Sky Bet odds: 11/2)
It should be a routine afternoon for Klopp's men playing at home. They've demonstrated their ability to dominate in their home games and it's largely why they are so involved in a title race this season. Yes, slip-ups are a part of football, but at a crucial point in the season, Liverpool will be focused on grabbing three points. Expect it to be a game where the Reds also see plenty of shots on goal, alongside the majority of the possession.
Best bet: Ben Mee to be shown a card at 4/1
It's set to be a busy afternoon for the Burnley centre-back, who has eight yellow cards in the Premier League on his record this season. Mee has also picked up consecutive yellow cards in their last outings, both of which ended in defeat. It's not just the cards that catch the eye, but so too is his record with fouls having committed the second-highest in this Burnley squad. At a general price of 4/1, it's worth a small stake in the defender making it number nine at Anfield.
Best bet: James Tarkowski to be shown a card at 9/2
We're hedging our bets a bit in also backing Mee's centre-back partner, James Tarkowski, to also catch referee Andre Marriner's attention at some point during the course of the game. He sits one spot below Mee when it comes to fouls committed by Burnley players in the Premier League and has six yellows on his record in all competitions. Against a talented attack with pace, Tarkowski's fouls could lead to him going in the book.
RequestABet: Liverpool to score 3+ goals, 10+ corners and 30+ Burnley booking points
Opta facts
- Liverpool have won nine of their last 11 home games against Burnley in all competitions (D2) since a 0-1 loss in September 1974.
- Burnley have picked up just four points from their 27 available in the Premier League against Liverpool (W1 D1 L7), winning 2-0 at Turf Moor in August 2016 before drawing this exact fixture last season.
- Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 35 Premier League home games (W25 D10). There have only been three longer such unbeaten runs in the history of the competition – Chelsea (86 games between March 2004-October 2008), Man City (37 between December 2010-December 2012) and Man Utd (36 between December 1998-December 2000).
- Burnley have won two of their last three Premier League games played on Sunday (L1), as many as they had in their previous 20 played on the day (W2 D4 L14).
- Liverpool have failed to win five of their nine Premier League games in 2019 (W4 D4 L1) – they’d only failed to win three of their first 20 before the turn of the year this season (W17 D3 L0).
- Burnley have only lost one of their last five away league games (W2 D2), though it was their last such match on the road (0-2 vs Newcastle).
- Mohamed Salah has failed to score in three consecutive Premier League games for the first time at Liverpool. His next goal will be the 50th for the club in the competition.
- Burnley’s last nine Premier League goals have been scored by either Ashley Barnes (5) or Chris Wood (4).
- Ashley Barnes has scored nine Premier League goals this season – he could become just the fourth Burnley player to reach double figures in a single campaign in the competition (Danny Ings 11 in 2014-15, Sam Vokes 10 in 2016-17, Chris Wood 10 in 2017-18).
- Sadio Mane has scored in each of his last five home Premier League games for Liverpool, netting six goals in total.
Odds correct as of 1425 GMT on 08/03/19
