Jurgen Klopp stood in the face of throngs of reporters last week and once again stated that his Liverpool side has the intentions of not just finishing in the Top 4, but winning the English Premier League. Those are big words for a team not playing in any European competition this year, but it's hard to argue with him at this point. The Reds are in solid form and are just off the top of the table, and they should be snaring three more points at home in EPL Match Day 9 against West Brom this Saturday.
At 12:30 p.m. ET, tune into NBC Sports Network for live television coverage of this Premier League match on Saturday, October 22, 2016, at Anfield.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Liverpool -340
West Brom +1000
Draw +465
Over/Under 3
Odds Analysis
It's been a while since we've seen Liverpool treated as one of those truly elite teams for betting purposes in the EPL, but we might be back at that point now. This match is a good indication of that, as the Reds are set as 1.5-goal favorites on the Asian Handicap and -340 moneyline choices. What's more notable is that, as of the middle of the week, there are over 63 percent of the bets on Liverpool on the moneyline at that chalky price, something that we don't normally see in the Premier League.
The total is set at a flat 3.
Key Injuries
The only major cog in the lineup that Klopp is still waiting for to return is Mamadou Sakho. At this point, we're not even sure if he has a spot in the Starting XI upon return from his Achilles injury, but there's no clear timetable for said return anyway at this point.
WBA won't have Jonny Evans in this match after he was banned for picking up his fifth yellow card of the season last week against Tottenham.
Recent Form
Not all 1-1 draws are created equally in the Premier League, and the Baggies are a good indication of that. They've snared identical results on the road against Stoke and Sunderland as well as a home date with Tottenham. In a vacuum, results like that won't keep WBA in the EPL, but any time you can get points on the road or against a Top 4 contender, you certainly take it. West Brom hasn't been beaten in four straight and six out of seven, and that's why this team is still treading water in the middle of the table through almost a quarter of the campaign.
Liverpool though, is just in a different world right now. The Reds did only muster a relatively blah draw against Manchester United last weekend, but that result wasn't terrible, especially when you consider the fact that they had won five straight matches. The last time Liverpool was beaten was back on August 20 against Burnley, and that feels like eons ago at this point.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Even with Joseph Gomez, Sakho and Danny Ings not playing yet this season for Liverpool, it's really in tremendous form. We keep seeing Daniel Sturridge and Robert Firmino making plays up front, and this midfield has been incredibly aggressive with all four regular starters logging at least three goals in just eight matches.
What's working for WBA is its goalkeeping. Ben Foster has been under an incredible amount of pressure of late, and he already has 27 saves under his belt this season. With Evans suspended though, that's taking away arguably his best defender in front of him, and at some point, that pressure is going to tell, and the Reds are going to breakthrough. Once the dam opens, it's going to be hard to plug it, and the Baggies are probably going to be handed a relatively awful defeat.
Premier League Odds: Liverpool 3, West Brom 0
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