Stoke City vs. Liverpool and Pick to Win
Date:Tuesday, December 27th 2016
Where: English Premier League Anfield – Liverpool, UK
by Keith, Professional Soccer/Football Handicapper, Predictem
Match Odds: Stoke City 21/2, Liverpool 1/3, Draw 5/1
Moneyline: Stoke City +1050, Liverpool -300, Draw +500
Over/Under Best Market: NO PLAY
The Potters of Stoke City and the Reds of Liverpool will square off at Anfield. These two teams have both been battling for position in the English Premier League table. For Liverpool, they sit in second behind table topper Chelsea with 37 points. The Reds are just six points back and certainly need a win here to keep pace with the Blues. The collision will take place on a primetime Tuesday night contest where the Reds and Red Devils will square off at Anfield in Liverpool on December 27th. Liverpool has been dominant at home particularly this season and at points the Reds have actually set on top of the English Premier League table much to their delight.
Liverpool has been in great form as of late. The Reds have won their three of their last five. Most notably, the Reds have emerged victorious in The Friendly Derby a.k.a The Merseyside Derby with their cross-city rivals, the Toffees of Everton. The team has certainly made strides compared to being a run of the mill franchise a couple years ago. Liverpool has since been on the come up since they have acquired the services of Jurgen Klopp as their manager and they own some rather impressive wins this season, not listed in the recent allotment of Liverpool wins. Their most stunning achievement a shelling of Arsenal at The Emirates to kick off the 2016/17 campaign. Contrarily, the Reds were stunned by Bournemouth 4-3, signifying their vulnerability on the back end. Liverpools defense remains a question mark.
Stoke City has the full propensity to be a menace to any team that dare it take it lightly. Just ask Liverpools arch rival Manchester United who walked in to The Potteries at Britannia Stadium expecting a win only to see it evaporate on the heels of a resurgent Stoke City. For many years, the Potters were prognosticated by some to be a contender for European qualification. However, no such event ever materialized. The fact remains, the Potters are meandering in the middle of the pack at this point with ownership to 21 points through 17 games played. This crop has a cast of English Premier League veterans that have the game experience to make the Potters relevant in any given fixture. Entering a hostile environment like Anfield will not be anything new to this lot. The Staffordshire based team has drawn in their last two against the defending English Premier League Champion, Leicester City where the Potters were deadlocked 2-2 and also against another outfit that hovers near the top end of the table, Southampton in a scoreless stalemate.
After reviewing the markets and reactions from the general public, the draw has the most value. First and foremost, no one is playing the draw. Either the consensus has weighed in on Liverpool with conceived home pitch advantage or they have gone the other way with the lofty take back associated with Stoke City. One thing alerts us to warn any taker. Be that this contest is a primetime fixture with no other matches occurring, the books are likely to be extra sharp and this kind of division in the money should be alarming considering none of the public like the draw. To complement these markets, many will likely see many prop bets and offers with either side be that this is a game of high scrutiny and interest. Inflated odds on either side reveals a trap situation and should be avoided at all costs. Additionally, we will not recommend any play in Over/Under markets for total goals be that it is a risky venture and reduces take back if the draw were to land. Ultimately, we stand to risk one unit to bank five back on a draw between both parties.
Liverpool Recent Form
W Everton 1-0
W – Middlesborough 3-0
D – West Ham United 2-2
L – Bournemouth 3-4
W -Leeds United 2-0
Stoke City Recent Form
D Leicester City 2-2
D – Southampton 0-0
L- Arsenal 1-3
W – Burnley 2-0
W – Watford 2-1
Keith’s Prediction for the Game: DRAW 5/1 (+500) and NO PLAY ON UNDER/OVER
