Jurgen Klopp knows that his Liverpool side is probably a year away from seriously contending for the Premier League championship. But when push comes to shove, the Reds are still right in the thick of the fight, albeit seven points back entering this weekend. With Chelsea almost certainly beating Hull City to push 10 clear, Liverpool needs to hold serve in what should be a walk in the park against Swansea City.
This English Premier League duel will go down Saturday, January 21, 2016, at 7:30 a.m. ET at Anfield. The match will be televised live on NBC Sports Network.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Liverpool -400
Swansea City +1150
Draw +525
Over/Under 3.5
Odds Analysis
Liverpool is one of the biggest favorites we've seen this year in the EPL. The Reds are set at -400 on the moneyline and are laying two goals on the Asian Handicap. It's a massive spread for sure, though bettors who are looking to take the dogs are going to probably blush just a bit, knowing that only a one-goal loss will provide a victory.
The total is understandably a heck of a lot higher than usual because of the magnitude of the spread. Most assume that Liverpool will hit home at least three times, and that's why the number to beat is set at 3.5 with a slight vig on -120 on the under.
Key Injuries
Aside from the fact that Swansea has had to go through three managers this season, the team has been incredibly beat up, particularly at the back. The latest injuries involve Jefferson Montero and Neil Taylor, both of whom are going to be out for the rest of this month at least with relatively major injuries.
Liverpool is going to be a more interesting club to follow this week on the injury front. The team has an FA Cup replay against Plymouth to deal with on Wednesday, and with a young squad expected to be played, that could leave the rest of the de facto senior side fresh. That said, Marko Grujic, Danny Ings, and Cameron Brannagan are all out of the fold for sure, while Sadio Mane is out thanks to serving his country in the Africa Cup of Nations. Furthermore, Joel Matip was dropped from the squad while awaiting international clearance from FIFA. Whether he'll be available by Saturday morning remains to be seen.
Recent Form
The good news for Klopp is that his defense has been fantastic. The team was full of pillars in defense against Manchester United, and it was only some desperation and some magic from Zlatan Ibrahimovic stole a point in a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford last weekend. The team though, still has a lot of work to do offensively. That goal against the Red Devils was the first the team scored in three straight matches, and that has to change in a hurry in order to win and cover this match.
The final score line against Arsenal last week will read 4-0 in favor of the Gunners, but the Swans didn't play nearly as poorly as that tally suggests. A couple own goals hurt for sure, and in the end, the offense probably deserved to put at least one in the back of the Arsenal net. The team has played better for sure, but the bottom line is that the team has been beaten in six out of seven matches across all competitions, the exception being a somewhat shocking away win against Crystal Palace.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
It's so hard to take the goals here on the Asian Handicap, knowing that the Swans have been so darn bad on both sides of the ball, but given the choices, we're going to trust that the signing of Martin Olsson from Norwich and the Tom Carroll move from Tottenham will ultimately help this team out enough to be competitive here.
Liverpool will get its three points, but there might be more questions than answers at Anfield following the triumph.
English Premier League Odds: Liverpool 2, Swansea City 1
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