Liverpool V Sunderland (English Premier League)
Sunday, 28th March – 16:00
Matt’s Tip: Fernando Torres Anytime Scorer – 1.75 Expekt
Matt’s Tip: Fernando Torres FGS – 3.75 Bet365
Sunderland have never scored at Anfield in the league in four attempts, so a small dabble on a clean sheet for the home side (1.83 SkyBet) whom, before conceding a goal-a-piece to Blackburn and Portsmouth, hadn’t conceded at home in their previous four league games.
Scored in his last two league starts, scoring one at Old Trafford and two against Portsmouth at Anfield, while the Spaniard has also scored in all three of his previous appearances at Anfield, scoring once against Blackburn Rovers (their 2nd), twice against Portsmouth (their 1st) and twice against Lille in the Europa League (2nd). That’s an accumulation of five goals in three games at home, while it’s six in five overall when you include his superb header at Old Trafford last Sunday.
Torres is a striker in form. When is he not?! He’s been banging them in for fun and it’s terrible news if you’re an England fan as Spain’s World Cup prospects receive yet another boost with Fernando’s goalscoring form, although at least those red-faced Scouser have something to shout about. Were it not for their talismanic Spaniard up front, Liverpool would be all but out of the race four fourth as he’s been there, in those ‘in the right place, at the right time’ positions to score those infamous killer goals for Liverpool, and what an inspiration and booster he’s been for a lacklustre Liverpool group.
Our only problem with Torres is he might get sent off before he even gets a chance to score tomorrow afternoon as he’s seem to have this annoying habit of picking up just as many cards as goals these days.
Even so, the bookies are so supremely confident of Torres scoring tomorrow that they’re reluctant to even give you odds, with the best we could being Expekt‘s 1.75 while the worst was Ladbrokes‘ incredibly stingy but probably wise quote of 1.44 on Torres embracing the Anfield crowd with a goal once again.
Torres will get his opportunity to score, probably half-a-dozen chances in fact, and chances are he will take several. We’ll just settle for one if needs be, although we would appreciate his first being the games first if you’d be so kind Mr. Torres.
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LASK Linz V SV Reid (Austrian Bundesliga)
Sunday, 28th March – 13:30
Matt’s Tip (Statistical): Under 2.5 Goals – 2.10 SportingBet
The DRAW also looks an attractive proposition at odds of 3.40 with Bet365… Small stakes of course.
The Austrian top flight, and the leagues below as well in fact, are well renowned for their entertaining affairs, with goals usually in abundance. However, this season hasn’t been so much of a Goal Rush with just 58% of games finishing with 3 or more goals after a third of the season played. This clash between LASK Linz and SV Reid could dent that statistics even further as neither have been particularly strong nor clinical in front of goal of late and we feel there is more than just a smidgen of value in backing no more than two goals (Under 2.5 Goals) despite the vulnerability of any Austrian game going into sixes and sevens.
We’re not Austrian followers especially, although we did enjoy a few dabbles during the previous campaigns (Mostly on Over 2.5 Goals it must be said). However, what with this being the only Austrian game on Sunday, so it already stood out for us, we thought we’d briefly do some research and were surprised to see that both were not only struggling for goals but also for points, with LASK without a win in three and boasting just two wins in eight, while Reid have now lost back-to-back games and have won just one of their last eight… Does the draw sound appealing to you as well? LASK have drawn their previous two at home so that might not be a bad punt in reality.
The most eye-catching factor about this game was the lack of potential goals. LASK’s two previous home encounters in the league finished Under 2.5 after two miserable low scoring draws with two teams right at the foot of the table; 0-0 with Austria Karnten (Bottom) and 1-1 with Kapfenberg (Second Bottom). Reid on other hand haven’t been involved in an ‘Overs’ game, away from home that is, since the middle of December. Their previous three away encounters have all finished with no more than two goals in them, while their previous two have both been narrow 1-0 defeats.
A Staggering 76% of LASK’s home matches have ended with 3 or more goals in them, but we’re relying on Reid’s 30% of away matches finishing Under to cancel that out in another tight yet drab Austrian game… Hopefully.
