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EPL Odds: Liverpool must beat Stoke for title shot

Don Aguero

by Don Aguero in News

Updated Jan 17, 2018 · 9:39 AM PST

Liverpool (-300) vs Stoke (+1100), Draw (+500)

Liverpool (11-4-2, 37 points) will be looking to keep up their momentum when they take on Stoke (5-6-6, 21 points) at Anfield Stadium on Tuesday, December 27, in the 18th round of the Premier League.

Liverpool are currently in second place with a six-point deficit to make up against league leaders Chelsea. It’s a tough gap to close but it’s the best shot the Reds have had in years. The former powerhouse won its last Premier League title in the 1989-90 season; the last decade or so has been a journey of endless disappointment.

If they are going to keep their title hopes alive, they will have to stop dropping points against lesser teams and hope that Chelsea slips up. That means take the full three points against Stoke and their ilk.

The Reds are recovering from a bad loss to Bournemouth and a disappointing draw to West Ham, but they have bounced back quite well with two consecutive wins.

Liverpool were somewhat fortunate to come away with a win last week in the Merseyside derby against Everton. Though they thoroughly outplayed Everton for the duration of the game, the match was tied 0-0 after 90 minutes. Deep into injury time, Sadio Mane came through with a simple tap-in and clinched the win.

Stoke are currently winless in their last three games, with a loss to Arsenal and draws to Leicester and Southampton. They spend a lot of time in their own half, which invites teams to play aggressively against them. And that’s good news for Liverpool, who prefer to play in their opponent’s third. A high-intensity game allows them to make use of their many attacking options and continually push forward.

The reason Liverpool trails Chelsea by six points is not because they are losing games. Both teams have just two setbacks this season. But Liverpool has drawn four games, often struggling to squeeze out wins against weaker teams, whereas Chelsea have only drawn one. I see that continuing this weekend and love the draw at +500.

Pick: Draw (+500)


Photo credit: “Liverpool FC Vs Arsenal Dec 21st 2014 (2-2)-210012” by John Jones CC BY-SA 2.0 [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0], via Flickr.

 

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