WEDNESDAY CARABAO CUP SEMI-FINAL: The Striker previews the Carabao Cup semi-final between LIVERPOOL v FULHAM with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
LIVERPOOL V FULHAM
8pm We have the second Carabao Cup Semi-Final on Wednesday night on BETDAQ Betting Exchange! Liverpool host Fulham in an all Premier League clash that the home side will be expected to win. Jurgen Klopp will be aiming to wrap this tie up in the first leg with home advantage and possibly rest a few players for the second leg with a hectic schedule coming up. For Fulham, this is their biggest game(s) of the season. A Cup Final would be absolutely massive for Fulham, but the reality is Liverpool are hot favourites to win the competition, never mind just this tie.
Both sides were in action at the weekend in the FA Cup. Liverpool had a superb result winning 2-0 away from home against Arsenal in the highlight tie of the Third Round, while Fulham beat Rotherham United 1-0 on Friday night. I’m sure Klopp noticed the fact that Fulham got to play Friday night and his side had to play Sunday evening giving the London side more rest time, but this is basically a normal schedule for Liverpool. A weekend game followed by a mid-week game is par for the course, especially when a side is in Europe – they are favourites to win the Europa League this season.
As I said above, Liverpool will be expected to win here and they come into the first leg as the red-hot odds on favourites. The home win is as short as 1.37 at the time of writing with Fulham 9.4 and the draw is 6.0. Liverpool currently sit top of the Premier League, but they have been weakened by the AFCON – Manchester City will look to make a charge towards the top of the table over the next month, and Pep Guardiola’s men remain the odds on favourites for the title but Liverpool are now clear second favourites ahead of Arsenal.
Liverpool have been exceptional going forward this season. Their average xG created of 2.1 is the best attacking figure in the Premier League, and one of the best from all of Europe’s top leagues too. They have been solid at the back too with Virgil van Dijk back to his best. He’s massively important for Liverpool because they can go to pieces at the back. Looking at the stats, there’s a huge gulf in class between the sides. Fulham’s average xG created in the Premier League this season is only 1.29, and they are conceding more chances than that too. They’ve actually been quite poor at the back, which is never a good thing coming to Anfield!
I feel this is a case of how many goals can Liverpool score rather than will they win. I’m not going to recommend backing them at 1.37 because there’s no prizes for that, however I would include them in any Acca this week. Fulham have been conceding an average xG of 1.87 away from home which is very poor, and I feel Liverpool can cover the handicap here. They are trading 1.95 -1.5 goals which looks cracking value in a game that they should win easily.
The Striker Says:
Three points win Liverpool -1.5 goals to beat Fulham at 1.95 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
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