Hosts Bayern Munich take on Liverpool in the second semi-final of the Audi Cup.
Audi Cup – Allianz Arena (Munich) Tuesday 1st August – 19:30 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 16/5 at Sky Bet |
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Bayern Munich
LiverpoolBayern Munich Form
The German league champions started their pre-season well but went off the boil during the International Champions Cup.
Four wins from four domestic friendlies saw them travel to Asia in fine form. However, they started off with a penalty shoot-out loss to Arsenal in Shanghai. That was followed by a 4-0 defeat to AC Milan in their second game in China.
Moving from China to Singapore seemed to signal a change in fortunes for Bayern, as they beat English Premier League champions Chelsea 3-2. That victory proved to be a one-off though and they lost 2-0 to Inter Milan in their final game.
With under three weeks until they start the defence of their title, Bayern will want to pick up a convincing victory here and (hopefully) in the final of a pre-season tournament being played at their home stadium.
Liverpool Form
Last season’s fourth placed Premier League team are unbeaten in pre-season so far, as they prepare for what they hope will be a prolonged title challenge in 2017/18.
The Reds trounced Tranmere 4-0 in their opening friendly and followed that up with a 1-1 draw away at Wigan Athletic. A trip to Hong Kong was next, where they beat Crystal Palace and Leicester City to lift the 2017 Premier League Asia Trophy.
Their most recent friendly was against Hertha BSC in Berlin, and Liverpool showed their readiness for the Audi Cup with a convincing 3-0 victory.
Jurgen Klopp, former manager of Borussia Dortmund, will be determined for his Liverpool side to pick up a surprising win over the hosts here.
Head to Head Record
Since Liverpool won a Fairs Cup tie 3-0 in March 1971, these sides have met a total of seven times.
That first victory for the English side is only one of two over Bayern Munich. The second was also the most recent, in the 2001 UEFA Super Cup.
Bayern have only beaten Liverpool once in those seven meetings, in November 1971, and the other four have been draws.
Surprisingly, the 2001 meeting is the only match between the two since 1981.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Bayern Munich are the home team and are unbeaten over 90 minutes against English opposition in this pre-season, so they are rightfully the favourites here. Sky Bet have the German champions priced at 4/7.
Liverpool are playing exceptionally well at the moment and look capable of taking advantage if Bayern have an off day or are a little short of match fitness. So, the 4/1 on offer for the English side is definitely a tempting price.
The draw is priced at 16/5 and could prove to be a fantastic bet, with this sure to be a tight match and there being a history of draws between the two sides.
We don’t work on instinct, we only deal with statistics and analytical reasoning, so it’s hard to back Liverpool to lose in this match even though they’re away from home. Therefore, Liverpool or Draw in the Double Chance market looks tempting at 5/4.
Bayern have played Chelsea and Arsenal in this pre-season, with both teams scoring in each match. So, even though Liverpool have kept two clean sheets in their last three warm-up matches, Both Teams to Score looks a solid bet at odds of 8/15.
Unfortunately, we aren’t confident enough to back one side or the other in this match. That means we are looking for bets in other markets which have a high percentage of giving us a profit.
This brings us to the Over/Under Half-Time market. There have been at least two goals in Bayern’s last three pre-season matches, and in two of Liverpool’s last three. Over 1.5 First Half Goals is priced at 6/5 with Sky Bet. Over 0.5 Goals before half time is a poor value 2/7, but a profit is a profit and that’s the aim of the betting game.
Liverpool’s new signing Mo Salah has scored in his last two matches and is priced at 11/4 to score anytime in the 90 minutes in this match.
Top Betting Tip
We deal in profit here, so our top tip for this match is Over 0.5 First Half Goals. This is priced at 2/7 with Sky Bet which, whilst not a great price, gives punters the chance of a profit.