Liverpool will be seeking to pick up their first win in this years Champions League on Tuesday night when they head out to Slovenia to take on NK Maribor in a key fixture. Liverpool have drawn both of their two games in Group E so far, whilst Maribor have picked up one point thanks to a 1-1 draw with Spartak Moscow. The third round of games could be key and if Liverpool fail to win and Sevilla beat Spartak Moscow, Jurgen Klopp’s side could find themselves four points behind Sevilla at the halfway stage.
When: 7:45 PM, Tuesday, October 17th, 2017
Where: Ljudski vrt, Maribor, Slovenia
NK Maribor
NK Maribor come into this game sitting 2nd in the SNL Table, just two points behind Olimpija with 12 games played. Last season’s champions are currently unbeaten in domestic football in Slovenia and their only defeat this season came against Sevilla in the Champions League. Despite their stadium holding just over 12,000, there is sure to be a raucous atmosphere on Tuesday night in one of the biggest games in the club’s history.
Liverpool
Liverpool come into this match having won just one of their last eight games in all competitions. That run continued on Saturday as Jurgen Klopp’s side played out a dour 0-0 draw with Manchester United at Anfield. Jose Mourinho set his United side up to avoid defeat and Liverpool could not break them down, despite having a number of clear cut chances. Sadio Mane has joined Adam Lallana and Nathaniel Clyne on the long term injury list and Klopp could well shuffle his pack on Tuesday night with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Daniel Sturridge, Ragnar Klavan and Loris Karius all likely to start the game.
Talking Points
1. These two sides have never met in a competitive match before, with NK Maribor only becoming a professional side in 1960.
2. Liverpool will be seeking to win their first three points in Group E and they must improve if they are going to qualify from what looked an easy group on paper.
3. The double header with NK Maribor represents Liverpool’s best chance of picking up six points and Klopp knows that will be key going forwards.
Prediction
If Liverpool are to qualify from Group E, then they simply must win both games against NK Maribor. Despite being unbeaten in their domestic league, Maribor are still European minnows and a team like Liverpool should be blowing them away. Liverpool have struggled of late, but I think Klopp’s side will get back to winning ways with a convincing victory on Tuesday night and an early goal could be key to settle any nerves.
Betting Tips (Ladbrokes)
Liverpool start this game as huge 1/6 favourites, whilst a home win for NK Maribor is available at odds of 16/1 and the draw is 11/2. As you can see, the odds reflect Liverpool’s superiority in quality and I think they should win this one by a few clear goals. Liverpool (-2) is available at 6/5 and that looks like the best value bet on offer for this game to me. Another thing that could be worth looking at is FGS markets when they open, as there could be some value to be found there.
Liverpool (-2) – 9/2 (Ladbrokes)