Free-scoring Liverpool Host Chelsea as Sturridge Aims to Prove a Point

With the Premier League in action in midweek ahead of the final weekend of the season, we bring you a special edition of our Bookmaker Ratings betting tip battle.

Focusing on Wednesday night’s match up between rivals Liverpool and Chelsea, this week we’re taking on BR journalist Pavel Lokhovinin. With a point awarded for a correct tip, WhoScored’s lead was cut to 9-6 after our first defeat since the battle commenced last time out, with Tancredi Palmeri correct with both of his tips as Leicester were held by United and the Stamford Bridge crowd saw over 2.5 goals, as well as plenty of yellow cards, as Spurs blew their chances of winning the title.

Pavel’s tips - read more here

Chelsea have nothing to play for (only to defend their 9th place from Stoke City), but, as there is definitely some rivalry between these two, they will want to perform well and end the season on some form of a high. This being said, we saw the Blues against Sunderland and it seems that the team is desperately waiting for next season with another manager. And to top it all, John Terry will miss the game due to suspension.

Just one of the last five Liverpool home matches ended with less than three goals in total (1:1, 4:1, 4:3, 2:2 and 3:0). With this in mind, and in order to keep good momentum ahead of their Europa League final, I think we can expect at least two goals from the Reds, especially with the likes of Sturridge, Coutinho and Firmino on the pitch.

WhoScored’s say

I think Pavel may be on to a winner this week, with Chelsea’s defence proving leaky at best since Guus Hiddink’s arrival. Indeed, in 16 matches since a 0-0 draw with Watford at the start of February, the Blues have kept just a single clean sheet, and that was against the Premier League’s basement dwellers Aston Villa.

Ironically the last time Liverpool failed to score was the same weekend as Chelsea’s aforementioned stalemate with Watford. In fact, since they failed to find the net against Leicester back in February, the Reds have scored at least six more goals (31) than any other Premier League team despite playing one game fewer in that time (12) than most. Incidentally, Chelsea are second in that list with 25. With Terry out for the visitors, two or more goals for the hosts does seem likely.

WhoScored’s tip - full match preview

With so much attacking talent set to be on display for the home side, provided Klopp fields a strong team as expected, there should certainly be goals for the fans to cheer at Anfield on Wednesday. Having been rested at the weekend, Daniel Sturridge should start and has more motivation in this game than most having felt he wasn’t given a fair chance at Stamford Bridge prior to his move to Liverpool.

Having missed 6 of a possible 8 meetings against the Blues since his switch to Merseyside through injury, this is a rare chance for the England international to get one over on his former club. Sturridge is certainly in fine form in front of goal, scoring 7 times in 10 league starts, with only City strikers Aguero and Iheanacho scoring more often in the Premier League than the Liverpool man (every 111 minutes). As a result, odds of 2.00 from bet365 on the 26-year old to score anytime and haunt his former club are tempting.

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