English Premier
2009-10-31 - Fulham vs Liverpool
A Sports Betting Pick by Caged
Football : England : Premier League
Craven Cottage
Saturday 31st October 2009 - Kickoff 3pm
Fulham (13th) Home 2-0-2 4:4
Fulham don’t seem quite the force they were last year, but manager Roy Hodgson’s recent refusal to be drawn by attractive international job offers will give the club a big lift.
Fulham’s last defeat was at home to Arsenal just over a month ago, a respectable little run that has seen them beat Hull and Basel and get creditable draws against Man City, West Ham and Roma.
They do seem to struggle against the Champions League contenders at home though, Craven Cottage defeats to Chelsea and Arsenal showing Fulham up a little. The big question is: are Liverpool in the same class as Chelsea and Arsenal at the moment?
Liverpool (5th) Away 2-0-3 7:9
Let’s not read too much into the Carling Cup defeat at Arsenal in midweek, both teams put out kids and Liverpool were a touch unlucky not to get anything out of the game.
Going back to last weekend, Liverpool overpowered Manchester United 2-0 in a game that not many gave them a chance of winning after such poor form in the matches that went before.
Apart from the United game, Liverpool have lost 4 out of 4 since thrashing Hull over a month ago. Looking forward, they face a crucial game away to Lyon in midweek in the Champions League. Torres and Gerrard may or may not be fit/risked for Fulham.
Liverpool seem to be able to function without Gerrard these days, but Torres is absolutely key and this is worth bearing in mind when more team news is available.
Head to Head
Fulham have won 2 and lost 3 in the last five years at home to Liverpool. This game finished 1-0 to Liverpool in April, with the visitors requiring a late Benayoun winner.
The Betting Verdict
Fulham are ticking along nicely at the moment, but are getting a lot of draws and they do struggle to match the firepower of the top sides.
Liverpool, buoyed with confidence after beating rivals Man United last weekend, are undoubtedly favourites here but will they have one eye on a huge game in France in midweek? This is a key question especially when you are backing Liverpool at odds on.
At the prices available you can make a case for Fulham, you suspect this may be a good time for them to face a Liverpool side with patchy form who may have their minds elsewhere.
Realistically though it would be a big surprise if Fulham scored more than one and Liverpool aren’t likely to score a sackload themselves. Fulham have seen a few draws of late, and it wouldn’t be unrealistic for them to get another one here. Take the draw.
The Statistics :
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