The Reds are just boss, aren’t they?
Two European Cup semi-finals in successive seasons, the possbility of three European finals in four seasons.
Thats incredible, this is what big clubs do. Liverpool are dining at the table of the European elite again and all we can do is enjoy it.
Loving life in Porto! ❤️ #LFC pic.twitter.com/4mi2H478jM
— RedsBet (@Reds_Bet) April 17, 2019
Its back to the bread and butter this weekend as there is the small case of trying to win our first league title in 29 years to tend to as Liverpool travel to Cardiff to keep the challenge going, and could be going into the clash on Sunday knowing the title is in their hands depending on the result of Manchester City’s meeting with Tottenham Hotspur early Saturday.
Cardiff has been a good city to Liverpool in the past, will that remain the case come 6pm on Sunday night?
Here is our betting preview for the huge clash, with tips on where to consider placing your money on the game. We also have a range of enhanced odds & LFC-specific specials for the game which can be found on site and in the links below.
Boosted Odds on Cardiff vs Liverpool
FORM VS BOTTOM HALF SHOULD SEE US THROUGH
Following the 4-1 cruise past Porto in the second leg of the quarters, It’s now eight wins on the trot as six of these came by at least two clear goals.
However, clean sheets are still hard to come by with just two over this period, both coming at Anfield, while Cardiff can’t afford to spend the whole afternoon defending – especially if they fall behind – as a narrow loss doesn’t do their survival prospects much good.
The Bluebirds worked their way onto the scoresheet in the reverse fixture, though we ran out comfortable 4-1 winners in that one too and a similar story should unfold here.
Indeed, we’ve won 16 of 17 matches against bottom-half teams this term as we’ve demonstrated thorough consistency, though having kept just one clean sheet in the last six of these, there’s certainly room for a consolation effort.
Cardiff have found the net in four of their last five on home turf, including their last match there against Chelsea, while they’ve in fact scored in six of 10 clashes with the ‘Big Six’ this term.
TIP: Liverpool to win & BTTS – 43/20*
WARNOCK TO GO FOR BROKE?
Neil Warnock hasn’t always stuck with the exact same formation, but it’s invariably some variant of four at the back and one up top.
In recent outings it’s typically been a 4-2-3-1 and we’d be surprised if he deviated from that approach. Having two deeper central midfielders means one or the other can shift sideways to help out the full-backs against Mo Salah and Sadio Mane, and the last thing Cardiff can afford is to have either of those two getting into one-on-one scenarios.
Meanwhile, at the other end, Cardiff’s best hopes for scoring rest on set-pieces or capitalizing on any individual errors. However, they may also find some joy firing long balls out wide to their wingers should our full-backs find themselves out of position as they stay forwards to sustain attacks.
THE RETURN OF GOMEZ?
Dejan Lovren would have hoped to feature against Porto having been on the outside looking in for some time, with first Joe Gomez and now Joel Matip pushing ahead of him in the pecking order.
However, there’s no room for passengers at this crucial juncture and Jurgen Klopp will surely go with those who have carried us this far. In any case, against a team that will be powerless for the most part to do anything other than defend for their lives, the ability of Matip to bring the ball out from the back should be preferred to the more rugged approach of the Croatian here.
There may be other areas of rotation, particularly to keep legs fresh in midfield, but we’re confident in whichever central trio Klopp selects to get the job done against Cardiff. The Bluebirds have some concerns of their own with key centre-back Sol Bamba and the versatile Callum Paterson unavailable, though it’s unlikely the outcome would be any different even if Warnock could select the pair.
TIP: Salah to score first – £10 returns £35*!
PREDICTION
We sided with both Mo Salah and Sadio Mane to register against Porto, and the front three appear back to their best with Roberto Firmino also getting in on the act at the Estadio Do Dragao.
However, Salah remains the main man and the most capable of a moment of genius, while his confidence has clearly rocketed following strikes against Southampton, Chelsea and Porto this month. Given we can see the potential for Cardiff to grab a consolation effort, the enhanced odds for the win, Salah to score, as well as Cardiff to find the net has a high appeal to it.
OUR TOP TIP: Mo Salah to Score, Liverpool To Win & BTTS at 17/4*!
*Odds are subject to change
