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EPL Betting: Can Hull Upset Sputtering Liverpool?

Don Aguero

by Don Aguero in Soccer News

Updated Jan 17, 2018 · 9:39 AM PST

Hull City (+675) vs Liverpool (-200), Draw (+400)

Winless in their last four games, Liverpool (13-7-3, 46 points) will travel to take on Hull City (4-5-14, 17 points) on Sunday, February 4, in the 24th fixture of the Premier League.

Despite the lack of points of late, Liverpool remain fourth in the standings, sitting in the all-important Champions League spots. In their last league match, the Reds drew 1-1 with leaders Chelsea after coming back from a goal down. A goal in the 57th minute by Georginio Wijnaldum ensured that Chelsea’s lead, which stands at ten points, would not increase.

Liverpool’s high-tempo, high-pressure game is a joy to watch when it works. It’s among the best performances in Europe when clicking. The Liverpool side have a way of smothering their opponents, applying relentless pressure until they crack. It’s a style that has seen them come away with wins against every top Premier League side this season.

But a full three points has been hard to come by of late. In their last couple games before the Chelsea match, they drew with with sixth-place Manchester United (1-1 away) and lost a shocker to Swansea City (3-2 home).

They also suffered embarrassing setbacks in both the FA Cup and League Cup, losing to Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers in the former and 12th-place Southampton in the latter. It seems like Liverpool are always able to rise to the challenge of a top tier team, but falter against seemingly easy opponents.

That’s great news for Hull City, who on paper are exactly that. The relegation-threatened side have only managed four wins this season and have a goal differential of -27, by far the worst in the league.

The Tigers have had glimmers of brilliance. They somehow managed to reach the semifinals of the EFL Cup, where they even beat Manchester United (2-1) in the second leg (but still fell 3-2 on aggregate). They also managed to wrestle a 0-0 draw out of United in the last round of the Premier League, despite being outplayed and outshot. The Hull defense held steady and keeper Eldin Jakupovic had a flawless game, saving six shots that could have easily resulted in goals.

Liverpool are by far the better side but they are probably the most inconsistent team in the league. Their track record against lower-ranked teams is riddled with mishaps and blemishes. Hull’s +675 odds are worth betting on, given how often the Reds slip up.

Pick: Hull City (+675)


Photo credit: “Coutinho” by Dean Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0 [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0], via Flickr

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