English Premier
2010-12-18 - Liverpool vs Fulham
A Sports Betting Pick by Lamps
Football : England : Premier League
Saturday 18th December 2010
Liverpool
Last 5 Liverpool Games at Home : P5 W4-D0-L1 F11-A3
Roy Hodgson’s Liverpool are back in the top 10 after a shaky start to the season, the reds need Champions League football next season and their quest for the top 4 continues on Saturday when Fulham are the visitors to Anfield.
The reds currently sit in 9th position and trail 4th placed Chelsea by 9 points having both played 17 games. I think it’s safe to say Liverpool wont win the league this year but getting back into the Champions League is a must especially for the financial benefits and also for the prospect of attracting bigger names to Anfield.
Speaking of Anfield, Liverpool has the 3rd best home record in the Premiership with 17 points from a possible 24, only Chelsea (19) and leaders United (25) have more home points. If Hodgson’s side are to finish in the top 4 come May, they must maintain this average of over 2 pts a home game until the rest of the season and Saturday’s opponents Fulham could be ideal opposition (0 away wins this season).
In their last 4 home games Liverpool has beaten Villa (3-0), West Ham (3-0), Chelsea (2-0) and Blackburn (2-1) which is very impressive giving them a 10:1 goals for v against ratio and the last time they conceded at home was against Blackburn back on 24th October! With this kind of form it looks a good spot to back Liverpool.
Team news is that inspirational skipper Steven Gerrard may make a return to the line-up however this will be a 12th hour decision so keep your eye on the line-ups, having said that I think he will play.
David Ngog has a facial injury and is rated doubtful along with Gerrard and I expect him to miss out, Agger, Spearing and Carragher remain out so we should see Kryigakos partnered at the back with Skrtel a combination that should be able to cope with Fulham’s not so potent attack.
Predicted Liverpool Lineup :
Reina, Johnson, Kyrgiakos, Skrtel, Konchesky, Kuyt, Meireles, Lucas, Maxi, Gerrard, Torres.
Fulham
Last 5 Fulham Away Games : P5 W0-D2–L3 F3-A6
Mark Hughes's Fulham come to Anfield languishing in 17th place only out of the relegation zone because of goal difference. This time last season Fulham were in 9th chasing a place in the Europa League, unfortunately this term is about survival and visiting the 3rd hardest ground in the Premiership isn’t ideal when fighting against relegation.
Even so, this is the task that Hughes’s men face this Saturday and the truth is, any points obtained are a bonus and will be much appreciated. When going down the fixtures earlier in the season Liverpool away couldn’t be high on the optimism list and given that Liverpool has won 4 of the last 6 meetings at home to Fulham without losing the stats seem to be against the Cottagers.
A big problem for Fulham is that they are notoriously awful on the road, 0 wins in 8 games means they have only the 15th best away record in the division. Some could argue that they are tough to beat and have only lost 3 times in those games but at the end of the day had they won 2 games and lost the other 6 they would be on 6 points as opposed to their 5 points from away games this season and a point clear of the relegation zone, not ahead on goal difference.
Scoring goals is a big problem for this side, 6 goals in 8 away games and only 1 in the last 3 just won’t be good enough over the course of the season. Travelling to free scoring Liverpool who is water tight at the back just isn’t the match up Fulham need. I mentioned above in the last 6 visits to Anfield Fulham has only avoided defeat twice, both draws in the last 2 meetings and both 0-0. If they are going to take a point from this one they will need another 0-0 here but I just don’t see it, especially give that Hodgson probably knows this team more than Hughes does!
Team news is that Senderos, Zamora, Dembele and Briggs are all out with Zamora and Dembele two massive losses to this side. Both are real threats going forward and given how toothless this side is when attacking they could do with their top goal scorer last season and their recent big name signing.
Deputising I expect to see Kamara leading the line with Gera and Dempsey supporting with Murphy, Davies and Etuhu in the midfield. It means that Duff and Andy Johnson may have to wait for their chance on the bench if things aren't going Fulham's way they are bound to be introduced at some stage.
Predicted Fulham Lineup :
Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Salcido, Davies, Murphy, Etuhu, Dempsey, Gera, Kamara
The Betting Verdict
You just can't oppose Liverpool when you compare the stats and even though Fulham has drawn the last 2 here I’m going for the Reds to make it 5 home wins in a row in a routine win.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Liverpool 2-0 Fulham
