Liverpool get back to Champions League action when they welcome Atalanta to Anfield tonight and victory would book their place in the knockout phase of the competition.
The Reds put-in a stunning display to thrash Atalanta 5-0 at the Stadio di Bergamo earlier this month so they’ll be looking for a repeat performance on home soil to wrap-up Group D with two games to spare.
Liverpool head into game-week 4 sitting top of the group with a maximum 9 points from their 3 games so far and are 5 points clear of Ajax and Atalanta. Therefore, Jurgen Klopp knows victory at Anfield would maintain their 100 percent record and seal their place in the knockouts.
The Premier League champions will be in confident mood as they warmed up for the game with an impressive 3-0 victory over Leicester City at the weekend but they won’t want to take a dangerous Atalanta side for granted.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s men have endured a tough start to the new season and have won just 2 of their last 8 matches in all competitions but they’re still a terrific side on their day and they have the potential to cause Liverpool problems.
Betting odds and tips
There are a variety of ways you can bet on this match. Due to the current climate, it’s difficult to visit high street bookmakers so most punters are placing their bets online and there are plenty of options available. All the major sports betting brands have websites and apps where you can gamble while casinos not on Gamstop also allow betting on football alongside their traditional casino games such as slots and roulette.
Looking at the odds for this game, Liverpool are 4/6 favourites with the bookmakers to collect all three points. You can back Atalanta at 18/5 to pull-off a shock result at Anfield while the draw is available at odds of 17/5 but it’s hard to see past a home win here.
The Reds ran-out impressive 5-0 victors in Italy three weeks ago and although I don’t predict another thrashing, I do think Liverpool will ease to a comfortable win. 3-1 to Liverpool looks a good bet at odds of 9/1 and if we add Sadio Mane as first goalscorer the odds increase to a whopping 50/1.
Prediction
Liverpool will continue to be without Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez while Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, Xherdan Shaqiri and Thiago Alcantara are doubts for the game due to fitness issues so Klopp has plenty of injury concerns to worry about. However, Mohamed Salah is set to return after missing the win over Leicester and, despite their crippling injury list, Liverpool should still have far too much quality for Atalanta.
The Reds are formidable at Anfield and set a new club record by extending their unbeaten run at home in the Premier League to 64 games at the weekend so it’s difficult to see Atalanta getting anything from this game. Â I predict the hosts to ease to a 3-1 win to book their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
