This is going to be a tough week for both Liverpool and Stoke City. Both teams were on the pitch on Saturday and will have relatively quick turnarounds on Tuesday when they have to face each other in the second leg of the semifinals of the Capital One Cup.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Liverpool -150
Stoke City +400
Draw +225
Over/Under 2.5 (under -130)
ODDS ANALYSIS
Liverpool went on the road a few weeks ago and beat Stoke by a 1-0 margin, and that could create a relatively lifeless match. Whereas the total in Wednesday's showdown between Everton and Manchester City is through the roof, this match could end up being drab. All the Reds need to do is to see out this 90 minutes without conceding a goal, and they'll be on their way to Wembley Stadium for the Capital One Cup finale.
Stoke City really needs to go for it, as it needs to win this match. If it can score twice, it can force the Reds to pick up a draw to get into the final. A 1-0 win for the visitors would send this duel to extra time.
That said, the total is understandably low at 2.5 and -130 vig on the under.
However, with this match being played at Anfield, it's tough to imagine Liverpool not at least putting on a good show to get the victory in front of the home fans. The Reds are the odds on favorites at -150, and they'll certainly take a 1-0 victory or something of the sorts.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Liverpool entered the Capital One Cup in the third round where it immediately ran into a huge hassle against Carlisle United. The fourth division team forced the Reds all the way to penalties in Anfield. From there, Liverpool set aside Bournemouth 1-0. That though, is when the managerial change happened and Jurgen Klopp came to Liverpool. Southampton was up in the quarterfinals, and it never stood a chance in a 6-1 loss to the Reds.
Stoke City hasn't really had the toughest road to reach the semifinals of the Capital One Cup. The Potters needed eight rounds of penalty kicks to remove fourth division Luton Town from the tournament before beating Fulham in the third round. Stoke City then took out Chelsea in a huge match in penalties 1-1 before getting the most favorable draw against Sheffield Wednesday in the quarterfinals in a 2-0 'W'.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Jordan Ibe had the game-winning goal in the first leg of this home-and-home series, but it wasn't a convincing performance by Liverpool. The Reds only had 36 percent of the game, but they also fired off 16 shots, four of which hit the target and one of which went home.
Stoke City has to be significantly better this time around if it wants to overturn this opening result, and we don't see it happening. Bojan Krkick, Xherdan Shaqiri and Peter Crouch are all going to have to go on the all-out offensive, and the Potters just aren't equipped to do that against a team which generally plays sound defense (though you wouldn't know it based on the 5-4 win against Norwich City over the weekend).
We expect Klopp to put his best team forward in this one with a legitimate chance to silverware, and we just don't see the fight coming out in Stoke City even though just one goal would make all the difference. The under is the right play, though if you're live betting this one, know that a Stoke goal could change the entire way the rest of the match is played for the most offensive.
Liverpool 1, Stoke City 0
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Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The fixture between Liverpool and Stoke City will take place at 2:45 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 at Anfield. The game will be broadcast live on beIN Sports TV.
