On Sunday Liverpool faced off against West Brom as -835 favorites to win. Liverpool dominated the entire first half of the game. Sadio Mane scored in the 12th minute to go up 1-0 and they controlled every section of the pitch. The problem the Reds had was creating chances. West Brom dropped into a defensive shell the entire first half only leaving one lone striker up the field. Any time West Brom cleared their box Liverpool was attacking once again. Liverpool possessed the ball 78% of the match and had 18 shots. With those 18 shots they only had 2 shots on goal. They could not get anything going as a team offensively. The second half was all West Brom. They looked like a team that was not scared to face Liverpool and started attacking Liverpool’s defense. West Brom scored in the 82nd minute and dropped back into their shell. The game ended in a 1-1 draw. This was the first time Liverpool dropped points at home. Liverpool sits 3 points ahead of Everton for first place.
Liverpool vs Newcastle United: In Liverpool’s last five meetings with Newcastle they are 5-0. Liverpool is 2-3-0 in their last five competitions. Newcastle sits in 15th place in the league and are 1-1-3 in their last five. With Liverpool not putting away West Brom early in their last game it made manager Jürgen Klopp play his star players for all or a majority of the match. On two days rest and still an injury riddled team it is hard to say what the projected lineup will look like for tomorrow’s match.
My Pick: Liverpool -345
Liverpool vs Southampton: On Monday January 4th Liverpool take on Southampton. Liverpool is unbeaten in their previous five vs Southampton with little to no trouble at all. Southampton is coming off two 0-0 draws against beatable opponents. Southampton sit tied with four teams for 5th place but are in ninth due to goal differential. No one thought Southampton would be this high up in the standings but they have not slowed down yet. I look for them to push the pace of the game and not hold back against Liverpool. This should be a high scoring and fast pace game. One thing to look for in this game is the return of midfielder Thiago. Klopp said he is unlikely to travel for the Newcastle matchup but I believe the return will be against Southampton.
My Pick: Liverpool -162
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