Chelsea clash with Liverpool in the English Premier League on Sunday and we have goals markets and goalscorer betting tips courtesy of @Olimp_SA
Chelsea vs. Liverpool, EPL Round 21, 2 January 2022 18:30
Up until December it had been a near perfect EPL campaign for Tuchel’s Blues. They had a watertight defense that had let in as little as seven goals all season and the team was nipping at the heels of Manchester City on the EPL table. Then in the first week of December they took a trip to London Stadium where they suffered only their second defeat of the season. Although the Blues have done well to not lose another match since that day I cannot help but feel that they just haven’t been the same since then.
Since their loss to the Hammers they have played five EPL matches, three of which they have drawn and two of which they have won. Their draws came against Brighton, Wolves and Everton – all teams that are considerably worse than them and teams that they should have picked up maximum points against. As a result of giving up cheap points they are now eight points behind City on the table and their chances of an EPL title this season is slipping away. Furthermore, across those five same games they conceded a total of five goals which might not seem that bad. However, after conceding only one goal every two matches on average up until the month of December it does give the impression that the defense is not quite what they used to be. The Blues are starting off the new year with difficult clashes against the Reds, City and Spurs and it’s vital that they get their defense in order and not give up any more points or risk slowly slipping out of the Top 4.
After a very disappointing loss at the King Power Stadium against Leicester on Tuesday night the Reds have slipped down to third spot on the table where they sit with 41 points. Klopp’s men did well to bounce back from their 3-2 defeat to West Ham in November with six straight EPL wins, but unfortunately disruptions in the squad along with postponed matches appears to have killed their momentum somewhat. Tuesday night was their first match all season that they failed to find the back of the net and despite netting two against Spurs and three against Newcastle, low-scoring performances against the likes of Aston Villa and Wolves has meant that they are no longer the top-scoring team in the league – a crown that they had held for almost the entire season.
Hopefully the Reds’ poor performance against Leicester can just be put down to them being rusty after an extended Christmas break and they can bounce back on Sunday against the Blues. Klopp’s men have now gone two EPL games without a win and it’s important that they get their campaign back on track with a win in the first match of the new year. A victory will see them move into second place on the table with a game in hand which will keep them within reach of Manchester City and certainly keep their hopes of an EPL title this season alive.
Liverpool have done much better than their opponents in their last five EPL meetings with three wins, while Chelsea have managed only one win and the other match ended in a draw. The teams last met in August at Anfield where they played to a 1-1 draw and the last clash at Stamford Bridge was in September last year where the Reds pulled off a 2-0 win. Both teams have scored in three of the last five EPL clashes and there have been over 2.5 goals in three out of the last five EPL clashes as well.
Prediction
This one is probably going to be the best clash of the weekend and it’s a really tough one to call. We’ve got two top teams who both have had their momentum killed and egos bruised due to sub-par performances brought on by match disruptions and postponements and both will be very eager to get their campaigns back on track with a big win. When the teams met earlier this season at Anfield they played to a 1-1 draw and I feel that this was a fair result considering the defensive and attack levels of each side. I think both teams are going to focus a lot more on their defensive efforts in this match and for that reason I am expecting a tight game without many goals.
There is also a chance that both teams’ attacks will still be a bit rusty like they were in their previous matches which should also play into my prediction of a low-scoring match. I am going to have a crack at under 2.5 goals in the match and although I don’t often like to back the draw I can’t choose between the two teams and see a lot of value in this play. Romelu Lukaku seems to have found some form again since returning to the team and with two goals in his last two starts for Chelsea he looks like great value to score a goal in the match at around 2.90.
BetOlimp Best Bets
Draw – 3.53
Total Goals: Total 2.5 under – 2.06
Anytime Goalscorer: Romelu Lukaku – 2.90
Note, odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
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