PREMIER LEAGUE MONDAY: The Striker previews Monday’s Premier League game between LIVERPOOL v CRYSTAL PALACE with a recommended BETDAQ bet. Monday Night Football is back!
LIVERPOOL v CRYSTAL PALACE
8pm It’s our first Premier League Monday Night Football of the season as Liverpool host Crystal Palace! It might be only the second week of the new season, but Liverpool already find themselves on the backfoot in the title race after dropping points away to Fulham on the opening weekend. The market is fully expecting them to win here – they are trading as short as 1.22 at the time of writing on BETDAQ Betting Exchange. To be honest it’s very hard to see past a Liverpool win here, Crystal Palace were average on the opening weekend when losing to Arsenal and there’s a huge gulf in class here.
With the 2-2 draw away to Fulham, Liverpool basically can’t afford to drop any more points if they want to keep up with Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s side look exceptionally strong, even so early in the season. That means the pressure is on Klopp and Liverpool, but let’s not forget that they are a top class side. Liverpool actually topped the home form table last season – finishing two points ahead of Manchester City and Anfield has turned into a fortress over the last few seasons.
Despite being held to that 2-2 draw away to Fulham, Liverpool played very well. They finished the game with an xG of 2.39 and it was just a setback result wise rather than performance wise. I think when you look at Manchester United at the moment, the major worry is the performances not only the results! Klopp must improve his side at the back though, because that is where they keep coming up short. They are conceding some sloppy goals, and that has to stop – we saw a big enough movement in the Outright market last weekend, Liverpool are out to 5.5+ for the title now.
If you look at the xG figures, Crystal Palace were a little unlucky to lose 2-0 on the opening weekend, but it was a very disappointing performance to let Arsenal run over them. They had home advantage, and we all know if you put Arsenal under pressure away from home they crumble. Palace couldn’t do that though, and it’s hard to see how they can pressure Liverpool at Anfield when they can’t do the same to Arsenal with home advantage. I think this is a case of how many goals do Liverpool score rather than will they win. I’m not going to recommend backing them at 1.22, but it is a very nice option for any Betdaq Multiple.
For my best bet I’m looking towards the side markets here. It’s very interesting to see Over 2.5 goals trading more or less the same price as Both Teams Not To Score at around 1.65. Over 2.5 goals is trading two ticks shorter at 1.63, and I have to say that prices makes a lot more appeal than Liverpool keeping a clean sheet at odds on. I wouldn’t put anyone off Both Teams To Score at the odds, but Over 2.5 goals looks a cracking bet here. Liverpool will attack as usual, and I can’t see Crystal Palace making the game boring and just putting XI men behind the ball either. This should be an entertaining game, and we should see goals.
The Striker Says:
Three points win Over 2.5 goals at 1.63 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/LivCry
MATCH STATS
● Since losing 2-1 to Crystal Palace in April 2017, Liverpool have won 10 consecutive Premier League matches against the Eagles, scoring 30 goals in the process. The Reds are only a longer winning run currently against Wolves (11 in a row).
● Crystal Palace have lost nine of their 13 away Premier League matches against Liverpool (W3 D1), losing their last five in a row. The Eagles’ three wins there came consecutively between May 2015 and April 2017.
● Liverpool haven’t lost their first home league match in any of the last 18 seasons (W14 D4), winning their last nine in a row. Their last such defeat came against Chelsea in 2003-04, losing 2-1.
● Liverpool against Crystal Palace marks exactly 30 years to the day since the first ever Premier League matches took place (15/08/1992). The Reds didn’t play on that day, but the Eagles drew 3-3 with Blackburn at Selhurst Park, with Rovers’ Alan Shearer scoring the first two of his record 260 Premier League goals.
● Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 20 Premier League games (W16 D4), the longest current run in the competition. They’ve also found the net at least once in each of these 20 games, also the longest ongoing run.
● Crystal Palace have lost two of their last three Premier League games (W1), as many as they had in their previous 11 (W5 D4). The Eagles lost against Arsenal in their opening match, last losing their first two games in a single Premier League campaign in 2017-18.
● Liverpool have conceded first in each of their last five Premier League games, their longest run since a run of six between April and August 1997. However, they’ve not lost any of these five games (W3 D2), with only Everton having a longer run of conceding first but avoiding defeat in consecutive Premier League games (6 between September and November 2012).
● Darwin Núñez scored and assisted on his Premier League debut for Liverpool in their 2-2 draw with Fulham, having three of the Reds’ four shots on target in the game despite only coming on as a second half substitute. Including his time at Benfica, Núñez has been involved in 28 goals in his last 21 league appearances (23 goals, 5 assists).
● Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has been involved in 11 goals in 10 Premier League appearances against Crystal Palace (7 goals, 4 assists), with each of these coming in his last seven games against them. Only against West Ham (9 goals, 3 assists) has he been involved in more.
● Two of the six players to complete at least 90 passes in the Premier League across MD1 were Crystal Palace’s central defensive pairing Joachim Andersen (91) and Marc Guéhi (93). They passed to one another 61 times, the most of any duo on MD1, 16 more than the next most (45 – Liverpool’s Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk).
