After their 7-0 trashing in Slovenia last week, Maribor head to Anfield more in hope than expectation. Jurgen Klopp’s men produced a ruthless display to go top of the Champions League Group E, with another three points giving them one foot in the knockout phase of the competition, with two games to come after this one.
Champions League – Anfield, Liverpool – Wednesday 1st November – 19:45 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 22 at Ladbrokes |
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Liverpool
MariborMatch Preview
Five-time European champions Liverpool face-off against minnows Maribor at Anfield next week, with another three points for Jurgen Klopp’s men only enhancing their chances of finishing top of Group E. Maribor have conceded 11 goals in their three European matches so far this season, with just a single point earned against Spartak Moscow in the first week of the competition. With Liverpool being the overwhelming favourites for victory, betting markets surrounding this match are likely to be difficult to take advantage of. For those looking to do so, let’s take a closer look at the two teams involved, starting with Liverpool.
Liverpool Team News & Form
Despite losing 4-1 at Wembley against Tottenham at the weekend, Liverpool are still the firm favourites to claim a comfortable victory over Maribor. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored his first Liverpool goal in Slovenia, with the former Arsenal man likely to start for Jurgen Klopp’s side at Anfield. Meanwhile, the likes of Daniel Sturridge, James Milner and Andrew Robertson will be hoping for rare starts also, while Adam Lallana could make his first appearance of the campaign. Liverpool’s last Champions League game at Anfield ended in a 2-2 draw with Sevilla, with a capacity crowd in Liverpool set to cheer the team on to victory this time around.
Maribor Team News & Form
Having lost heavily on their home turf just last week, Maribor will head to Anfield in the hope of putting up more of a fight this time around. The Slovenian champions defeated Ankaran Hrvatini in their domestic league over the weekend, however a trip to Liverpool is a whole different ball game for the minnows. Captain Marcos Tavares is undoubtedly Maribor’s biggest attacking threat, however it is Damjan Bohar who has scored their only goal in Group E so far. Manager Darko Milanič will hope to come up with a strategy that contains Liverpool’s attacking threat, with a lack of firepower meaning that they may have to settle with playing on the counter-attack.
Head to Head
Before their meeting in Slovenia last week, where Liverpool came out 7-0 winners, the two teams had never previously met in any competitive fixture, making Maribor’s trip to England this week a completely new venture for the Slovenian club. As a result, there are no conclusions to be made in this area when looking to make predictions surrounding this encounter.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Given the result between the two teams last week, it is clear that the home side are the favourites for victory. For those looking to back Liverpool to claim all three points against Maribor next week, you can find best odds of 1/33 at Ladbrokes, while the visitors are offered odds of 100 to cause the biggest shock of the season so far.
Top Betting Tip
Our top betting tip for the match is to back the Liverpool to win both the first and second half against Maribor, available at odd of 2/11 at Ladbrokes.