Liverpool make their return to the Champions League on Wednesday night as they host Spanish side Sevilla at Anfield. Jurgen Klopp will be desperate to bounce back following their humiliating 5-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City on Saturday, but he will come up against a Sevilla side who beat Liverpool in the Europa League Final just two seasons ago. Both of these sides came through the Playoff round with Liverpool breezing past TSG Hoffenheim whilst Sevilla scraped past İstanbul Başakşehir 3-2 on aggregate in a closer contest than many expected.
Liverpool vs Sevilla
Champions League – Anfield, Liverpool – 7:45PM, Wednesday, September 13th
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Draw Best Odd of: 3/1 at Ladbrokes |
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Liverpool
SevillaLiverpool
Liverpool were taken apart by Manchester City on Saturday in the Premier League following Sadio Mane’s controversial first half red card and Jurgen Klopp will be keen to make amends in this game. His side were arguably the better team in that game before Mane saw red for a high boot into the face of City goalkeeper Ederson, but fans were extremely disappointed with the way capitulated in the second half. Mane will be expected to start on Wednesday night, but Klopp could make a number of changes with Dejan Lovren, Andrew Robertson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all expected to come into the starting line up. One man who could return to the squad is Philipe Coutinho, with the Brazilian looking to rebuild any burnt bridges with Klopp following a summer in which he sought to leave the club for Barcelona.
Sevilla
Sevilla have started the season well in La Liga, picking up two wins and a draw from their opening three games to find themselves in 3rd place in the table. This weekend they picked up an impressive 3-0 win against Eibar, meaning they come into the contest full of confidence. Since Sevilla beat Liverpool in the Europa League Final two season’s ago, the club have seen a whole host of changes in personnel including two different mangers. Just three players who started that night are expected to play on Wednesday, but the club will know that they can beat Liverpool.
Talking Points
- Liverpool’s last European game was against Sevilla; a 3-1 loss in the Europa League Final.
- Philipe Coutinho could make his first appearance of the season following his failure to secure a move to Barcelona this summer.
- Sevilla play a similar pressing style to Liverpool and have pace in attack, so it will be interesting to see which team comes out on top.
Prediction
These two sides will be battling for top spot in the group which means that Liverpool can ill afford to lose this home game against Sevilla. The Spanish side have all the tools at their disposal to cause Liverpool problems at Anfield and I’m expecting a close game here in which both sides could help themselves to a couple of goals. If I had to call it, I’d predict a score draw in this one.
Betting Tips (Ladbrokes)
Liverpool start this game as favourites at 3/4, whilst an away win for Sevilla is available at 4/1 and the draw is 3/1. I don’t find those odds on a Liverpool win particularly appealing as I think this will be a close game. Both Teams to Score at 4/7 looks like a sure thing and I think a few units on a 2-2 draw at 11/1 could be worth a punt.