Premier League
/ Lee Dixon / 21 October 2011 / Leave a Comment
Steven Gerrard is back and can score for the second game in a row
"Expect Norwich to contribute their share of goals - a point underlined by Opta who tell us the following: 'Liverpool have kept just two clean sheets in their last 11 Premier League games and in both matches the opposition was reduced to 10 men.'"
Liverpool and Norwich are no shrinking violets, says Lee Dixon who thinks Saturday evening could bring goals at both ends of the Anfield pitch
Liverpool v Norwich, Saturday 17:30, live on ESPN
I have been quietly impressed with Norwich in their first season back in the top flight. They are always up for a go at the opposition and have scored in all but two Premier League games, and one of those was against Manchester United.
That suggests they might well score at Anfield and I think we could be in for an entertaining game. But while I don't expect this to be a cakewalk for Liverpool, they should have enough to pick up another three points in what is turning into a promising season for them.
Match Odds - Liverpool [1.32], Norwich [13.0], Draw [5.7]
At [1.32] I'm not going to put Liverpool up as a recommended bet, regardless of whether I think they'll win or not. As it stands I do believe victory will be theirs, but with Norwich capable of scoring I don't think this will be straightforward enough to invest your money at such a short price.
Over/Under 3.5 Goals
Having established that I'm expecting action I'm going to push the boat out here and will go over 3.5 at [2.76], rather than the more conservative 2.5 option. As I state above, expect Norwich to contribute their share - a point underlined by Opta who tell us the following: 'Liverpool have kept just two clean sheets in their last 11 Premier League games and in both matches the opposition was reduced to 10 men.'
Penalty Taken?
The Canaries may be goalscorers but they give plenty of chances to the opposition too, with seven goals conceded on the road, and a league-high five penalties awarded against them. There'll be lots of home possession for them to contend against on Saturday evening and we could well see keeper John Ruddy face another spot kick...
To Score
...and the man despatching that penalty will likely be Steven Gerrard. The Anfield legend was a winning bet for us in this market last week and we're going in again! In a game that should feature goals the Liverpool captain has got to be fancied to get amongst it.
Gerrard has been nurtured back to fitness by Kenny Dalglish and his team, and Liverpool have been doing reasonably well without him. The new signings have helped in that respect and, for once, Gerrard is not expected to carry his team-mates. Nevertheless, he is still hugely influential and will benefit from the good new players around him. Unlike some others, I'm not going to write Gerrard off at just 31 years of age, and fancy him to play a big role for both Liverpool and England in the next few years.
Recommended Bets
2pts Back Over 3.5 goals @ [2.76]
1pt Back Yes in Penalty Taken market @ [4.0]
Back 1pt Steven Gerrard To Score @ around [2.8]
Wolves are mired in a five-game losing streak but Saturday's early Premier League kick-off gives them the best opportunity yet to break that horrible run, says Lee Dixon...
There's one outstanding bet this weekend as far as Mike Norman is concerned, and it comes in the Bolton v Sunderland game where goals should be the order of the day....
There's no Champions League football at White Hart Lane this year and as a result slightly less media attention. Away from the spotlight, Harry Redknapp's Spurs keep on improving in the league....
No comments:
Post a Comment