Best odds: 8/15
Bookmaker:
The hectic festive schedule in the Premier League is in full swing this weekend and next week, with two full rounds being played in the next six days, between now and the turn of the year, that is. In one of the four matches scheduled for Sunday, Liverpool will be hosting West Bromwich Albion at Anfield.
Liverpool
It has been a season of mixed feelings, not to mention perceptions and opinions, when it comes to the reigning Premier League champions. From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows we ve seen it all from Liverpool since the start of term. They were able to hammer Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, hold off Manchester City at the Etihad, crush Atalanta in Bergamo, beat Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield and pummel Crystal Palace into the ground at Selhurst Park last week. They were also able to get absolutely destroyed by Aston Villa at Villa Park, beaten at Anfield by Atalanta, and barely scrape a point against Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Nonetheless, Liverpool sit in relative comfort at the top of the Premier League table, with 31 points to their name, four more than Leicester City in second place, five more than two fiercest rivals in Manchester United and Everton, six more than Spurs and Chelsea, seven more than Southampton and eight more than Manchester City.
Jurgen Klopp s team won Group D, finishing ahead of Atalanta, Ajax and Midtjylland. They will face RB Leipzig in the round of 16.
Their won four of the last six matches they played in all competitions, drawing the other two.
Team News
Liverpool are without defenders Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez. Neither of the two centre-backs, Klopp s preferred pair in the heart of defence for months before they both picked up severe knee injuries, is likely to play again this season. Forward Diogo Jota is also out with a knee problem, though not as serious as the two defenders. Midfielder Thiago Alcantara is has returned to team training after a two-month absence, but this game will still come too soon for him to get involved. Backup left-back Kostas Tsimikas is also out.
On the other hand, the German tactician will be able to welcome vice-captain James Milner and winger Xherdan Shaqiri back to the fold. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita have already returned from their respective absences, both playing a part in the humiliation of Crystal Palace last week.
Alisson Becker will surely be between the posts, most probably with Fabinho and Joel Matip directly in front, though Klopp could opt to rest one of these two and call upon either 23-year-old Nathaniel Phillips or 19-year-old Rhys Williams, as he tries to manage his players carefully at this hectic time. Jordan Henderson will be anchoring the midfield, but it will be interesting to see who plays alongside the captain. Georginio Wijnaldum has been an ever-present this season so far, but Klopp might opt to rest the Dutchman for precisely that reason. Young Curtis Jones will be hoping to keep his place in the team after recent good performances, but Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain will be eager to play as well. Upfront, Takumi Minamino isn t very likely to start a second game in a row, despite playing extremely well against Palace and getting his name on the scoresheet. If he does, however, it will probably be in the place of Roberto Firmino or Sadio Mane, with Mohamed Salah playing only half an hour of the last game.
West Bromwich Albion
The Baggies will arrive to Anfield with a new manager at their helm Sam Allardyce. Many Liverpool supporters proudly boast of 66 Premier League games their team haven t been beaten at home, but it s certainly worth remembering that the last defeat they suffered at Anfield (March 2017) came at the hands of Crystal Palace led by Sam Allardyce.
Allardyce was appointed in the place of Slaven Bilic, and interestingly enough, Bilic s dismissal came after his team won an unexpected point by drawing 1-1 away to Manchester City. On the other hand, Allardyce s return to management after a two-and-a-half-year beak hasn t gotten off to the best possible start; his team was pummeled at the Hawthorns 0-3 by Aston Villa last week.
West Brom are currently in the relegation zone, and a difficult battle for survival is on the cards of them. They are in 19th place with seven points, after winning only one match all season. Only Sheffield United, who appear relegated already even though it s only December, have done worse.
Team News
Midfielder Jake Livermore was sent off last week and is thereby suspended, but winger Matheus Pereira is back from a suspension of his own. Centre-back Kyle Bartley, left-back Conor Townsend and striker Hal Robson-Kanu are coming closer to returning from their respective injury absences, but they are all highly unlikely to make the Anfield trip.
Allardyce is likely to make some changes from the defeat to Aston Villa, given what happened in that game, but it s hard to guess at the moment just how deep he ll go with that. Charlie Austin could be given a start upfront, having come on from the bench, as could former Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic at the back. Benfica loanee Filip Krovinovic will also be hoping for a start after sitting through the whole Villa game on the bench the first game the attacking midfielder wasn t involved in since his arrival from the Portuguese club at the end of September.
Conclusion
Yes, Sam Allardyce was indeed the last manager to walk away from Anfield with three points in his pockets, but it s highly unlikely to happen this time around. He used to be very good and finding ways to shut attacking teams down and hit them where it hurts, but Jurgen Klopp will have learned a lot since March 2017 after all, Liverpool have won the Champions League and the Premier League since.
Sadio Mane had a dry spell when it comes to goals, having not scored since the trashing of Atalanta in Bergamo on November 3rd, but he ended it with a brilliantly taken goal against Palace last week, nailing an assist to boot. But given that he could be the one to be given a rest on Sunday, it s more likely that Salah will find the back of the net at least once.
Verdict: Mohamed Salah to score
Best odds: 8/15
Bookmaker:
