Liverpool v West Ham: No shortage of goals at Anfield
Liverpool will be licking their wounds somewhat after a remarkable trip to Bournemouth last weekend. The Reds appeared to be cruising to another win at 3-1 up but contrived to throw the game away and lose 4-3 on the south coast.
In truth they couldn’t ask for a much better game to bounce back in here. The 3/10 (1.30) at Paddy Power demonstrates quite how little the bookmakers expect West Ham to put up any resistance at Anfield and having won seven of their eight Premier League games on home soil this season, the short price on Liverpool looks pretty justified.
Even more so when you look at West Ham’s form of late. They were, for want of a better term, hammered by Arsenal last week, losing 5-1 at the London Stadium and the move to their new home is certainly proving problematic for Slaven Bilic’s side. The visitors are 8/1 (9.0) to turn around a run which has also seen them lose three of their last four games on the road in all competitions. A draw is on offer at 5/1 (6.0) with Paddy Power.
The Hammers have struggled with injuries this season, there’s no doubt about that but the Croatian is coming under increased pressure amid some seriously disappointing displays. The move to their new ground was supposed to propel the club on an upward trajectory but this season has been a huge disappointment based on the relative highs of last term.
It certainly seems a case of how punters can get with a pro-Liverpool angle here, rather than finding a route to oppose them. Goals have been plentiful at both ends and with that in mind the home win and BTTS option at 7/5 (2.40) seems solid enough. The Reds have won nine Premier League games in total this season and conceded in eight of those so this looks a very palatable option of enhancing the potential returns.
One intriguing factor could be the return of Andy Carroll to Anfield, a venue where he really struggled at times under the pressure of a huge transfer fee. The 27-year-old made a cameo off the bench to score against Arsenal last weekend and he’s 3/1 (4.0) to expose the defence of his former club with a goal at anytime in this one.
Paddy Power are certainly taking no chances with Liverpool’s attacking triple threat of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Divock Origi. They’re all 5/6 (1.83) to score during the 90 minutes but those searching for a longer price should consider the 5/2 (3.50) industry best price about James Milner finding the net for a smaller stake. The penalty taker has already racked up five goals in 12 games this term and with West Ham’s squad conceding goals at a rapid rate, another spot kick looks on the cards here.
Liverpool and BTTS certainly looks a solid option at 7/5 (2.40) while a match featuring four or more goals is priced at an industry best 11/10 (2.10) with Paddy Power and also holds plenty of appeal.
