English Premier
2021-01-21 - Liverpool vs Burnley
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Thursday 21st January 2021 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV
Liverpool
The lack of goals has to be a real problem for Jurgen Klopp to address as Liverpool dropped more Premier League points which increases the importance of winning this fixture. Another game without a goal saw Liverpool end up with a goalless draw with Manchester United last Sunday and that has seen the Champions drop down the standings.
After results over the weekend, Liverpool are now 4th in the Premier League table although they remain 3 points off the lead and will be looking to at least keep in touch on Thursday. The Reds now have a 7-2-0 record at Anfield, although the recent results here have just seen Liverpool suffer a setback in the Division.
Liverpool have only won 1 of their last 5 games in all competitions and that came against an Aston Villa team who had to play their youth players after the Covid-19 outbreak prior to the FA Cup Third Round. The side have not won any of their last 4 Premier League games and have not scored in their last 3, while Liverpool have drawn back to back home League games against West Brom and Manchester United.
Joel Matip could be available for selection this week.
Burnley
There is plenty of effort and hard work being put in by Burnley, but back to back 1-0 defeats in the Premier League over the last ten days has just slowed their progress. Sean Dyche is still expected to keep the club in the Premier League and there is plenty of belief in the manager, but he would love to see Burnley earn a surprise point here to maintain a healthy gap to the bottom three.
Brighton's win over Leeds United dropped Burnley into 17th place in the Premier League table and they are 4 points clear of Fulham in 18th. However the latter are playing on Wednesday so that gap could potentially be a lot closer before Burnley kick off on Thursday. The side have a 1-3-5 record away from home after losing 1-0 at West Ham United last weekend.
Burnley have only won 1 of their last 5 games in all competitions in normal time, while there will be a little bit of concern about 3 losses in their last 4 Premier League games. All of those defeats have come by the same 1-0 scoreline and Burnley have not scored in any of their last 3 on their travels in the League.
Charlie Taylor and Jimmy Dunne are hoping to be available for selection.
Head to Head
Liverpool took four points from Burnley in the Premier League last season, although the shared points came from the 1-1 draw at Anfield.
Surprisingly Liverpool have drawn 2 of their last 3 at home against Burnley.
Prediction
You have to believe that Liverpool will rediscover their form sooner rather than later and so being 3 points off the leaders is not a bad position to be in.
However you can't help but be critical of Jurgen Klopp's reaction to the goalless draw with Manchester United. Like many managers he is trying to disguise the issues in the Liverpool camp by taking aim at tactics other managers are using, but if he was frustrated by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United, Klopp has another difficult evening to come against Sean Dyche's Burnley.
At the end of the day Liverpool have not scored in their last 3 Premier League games and they were pushed much harder than they would have imagined by Aston Villa's youth team in the FA Cup Third Round earlier this month. Defensively Liverpool have been largely settled, but they are not taking the chances that are coming their way and there is a pressure to respond.
I do think eventually an opponent is going to take something of a hammering by Liverpool, but Burnley have drawn on 2 of their last 3 visits to Anfield. They will be looking to frustrate their opponents here, but Burnley have lost 3 of their last 4 Premier League games and all by the same 1-0 margin.
Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes will be looking to challenge the Liverpool centre halves more than they had been last Sunday, but Joel Matip could return to bolster the home team. With Alisson in goal Liverpool do feel confident in their ability to still keep teams out, but they have to rediscover their clinical edge in front of goal.
Chances are being created, but there does look to be a lack of confidence in the strikers which is a worry for the manager while Diogo Jota is on the sidelines. I still think Liverpool will end up being too strong for Burnley and they will take the opportunities when they are presented here, although they may need a bit of luck to just open the door and then push on.
The feeling is that a single goal may be enough to earn the three points and I think Liverpool will find a way to break through what is going to be another deep lying defence. Burnley may not have the same attacking threat as Manchester United though and Liverpool should find a way to the points as they look to keep in touch with those teams above them in the table.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Liverpool 2-0 Burnley
