The 2024/25 football season in Europe has been a surprising one, to say the least. Not a lot of fans expected it to go as it is currently unfolding, but here we are. After several months and well into December, there is but a single team that remains a strong candidate for multiple trophies at the end of the season. And no, it is not a defending champion, and neither is it a team that has won plenty of trophies in the last few seasons. Sure, they managed to capture some big ones a few years ago, but since then they have danced around the semifinals and second or third spots in their domestic league. They did not even make any big transfers and they have a new manager on the bench. So how are they the best?
We are of course talking about the English juggernaut, Liverpool FC, and their breathtaking opening to the season. It is no longer just the opening either as we are approaching the middle of December and the Reds are the leaders both in England and in Europe. In this extensive guide, we take a look at how they have managed to do it, what the upcoming schedule holds, and what the stats are showing us. Of course, we also talk about online sports betting since the team is one of the fan favorites for wagering. Considering their superb form and the poise with which they are playing, it makes sense to continue favoring them and betting on them to win for the foreseeable future. All in all, it is a great time to be a LFC fan so let us dive into it.
Dominance in England
Barely anyone, except of course the local fans, expected the Reds to have this much success. It is not easy to go through a transition period in which several key players leave and one of the best managers in the club’s history also departed Anfield. Jurgen Klopp won 7 trophies between 2015 and 2024, making him the fourth-best in the storied history of the organization. He won one Premier League, one FA Cup, one UEFA Champions League, one League Cup, one FIFA Club World Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, and one Community Shield. This means he has one of each, everything that an English team can win he did win. Arne Slot looks to be a worthy successor as of right now. In a limited time, he has done wonders and his team looks utterly unbeatable.Â
The dominance of Manchester City was tough to bear, but Liverpool is now on top once again. Disappointing finishes in the Premier League seem to be over, and a return to the top in Europe sees them as the best team on the Old Continent. And in both, they have done it gloriously. Starting with the Premiership, they have played 14 games so far, and are currently 1 game behind. Despite that, they are the leaders on the table with 11 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss. They have scored 29 goals, which is tied for third-best, but have only allowed 11 which is league-best. This is good for the league-leading +18 goal difference. The clean sheets have been amazing to watch as their defense is the best in Europe right now.Â
In the last 5 games, they have 4 wins and a draw, that being their latest Premier League against Newcastle, 3-3. They had another 3 points within their grasp but Fabian Schar equalized in the 90th minute and secured a point for the home team. Regardless, they have already beaten Man City and Chelsea, and drew against Arsenal, so they are in a prime spot to finish the year with a considerable point differential and enter 2025 as the clear-cut favorites for another trophy. With the Everton game postponed and its time TBD, they have had an extended break from domestic football and should continue their dominance moving forward. Mo Salah has been the man as he is tied with 13 goals so far in the season with Erling Haaland. He was in front for a week or so and will look to get back to it in the next two weeks.Â
The New UEFA Champions League Suits Them
The 2024/25 season was going to be a historic one in Europe even before it started because of the new league format that threw out the groups in favor of a true league phase. It also meant more matches with 8 games for each team, each against a different opponent once, 4 at home, and 4 away randomly selected. At this time, Liverpool is the only remaining team with all 6 wins in the first 6 matchdays. And they have done it in big fashion, beating high-caliber teams as well as those obviously weaker in every meaningful factor. They will look to make it a perfect 8-0 record and cement themselves as the first team to do it in the inaugural season.Â
Most recently, they beat Girona in Spain 1-0 with a penalty goal by their leader, Mo Salah. Before that, it was a decisive 2-0 home win against the defending champions, Real Madrid, their big rival and a team that has prevented them from capturing the UCL title multiple times in the last decade. With a 4-0 win against Leverkusen, a 1-0 win away against RB Leipzig, a 2-0 home win against Bologna, and a big 3-1 win away at Milan to open the competition, Liverpool has been incredible in Europe. They have scored 13 and allowed only 1 goal in the competition for a second-best goal difference of +12. Only Barcelona has a better one at +14.Â
Upcoming Schedule and Fixtures
It is a well-known fact that December is one of the toughest schedules in European football. There are games every few days with the domestic league, domestic cup, and Europe games all appearing on the tight timetable. From December 14 to the end of the year, Liverpool is going to play 5 games. The first of them will be a home game against Fulham on Saturday, December 14, in what should be an easy win for the home team and new 3 points on the table. Then it is an EFL Cup game, a quarter-final at Southampton on Wednesday, December 18. Despite it being a lesser worthy trophy than both the Premiership and the UCL, Liverpool wants it so they will be giving it their all. They are absolute favorites for that matchup.
On December 22, a Sunday matchup against Tottenham in London is on the schedule in one of the classic English rivalries. The Spurs are not playing their best football right now and are in the 11th spot, just behind Fulham. They have lost their last 2 games, before which they had a draw. Despite playing at home, Liverpool is a big favorite here. Four days later on Boxing Day, Thursday, December 26, it is another home game, this time with Leicester City coming around in what should be a good game that the Reds will have no trouble taking care of. The final game of the year and a chance to finish 2024 with a bang is an away clash versus West Ham on December 29.Â
It is a busy December at home, to say the least, with 4 Premiership games and a lone cup matchup. Should Liverpool win all 4, that would mean 12 more points and a tally of an incredible 47 points to enter the new year. It will guarantee an easier January and February stretch and the beginning of one final decisive push to secure enough points for a calm end to the season atop the standings. With FA Cup and UCL games waiting in January, it would be a nice thing to be more secure domestically and not worry about every single Premiership game.Â
What do the Odds Say?
In terms of sports betting, it is important to evaluate what the oddsmakers and bookies are predicting for the Reds in the upcoming December games. Sports bettors and punters need to know this if they are to make high-quality wagers that will bring them some money. It goes without saying that they are the favorites across the board, but checking the odds is the least a serious gambler needs to do to prepare. The odds of them winning will be expected, but there are others worth checking out as well.
For the Fulham game, Liverpool has 1.34 odds while Fulham only has 8.40. The draw is set at 5.80. The goal range bet is interesting with 0-1 being 5.80, 2-3 sitting at 2.19, and a 4-5 being 2.90. Should it be a minimal victory, which is not unheard of in England, it could be a big payday. Mohamed Salah is the favorite to score the 1st goal with 4.10, another great bet to make. Darwin Nunez is at 5,40 and Luis Diaz is at 5.80. Whoever scores, it is a good deal to make considering the bet multipliers.Â
The Tottenham Hotspur game is another favorite for the Reds as their odds are 1.86 to the Spurs’ 3.80. A draw could happen and the odds of it taking place are 4.20. Here, it should be a high-scoring affair and the odds show it with the 0-1 goal being 8.00. The 2-3 goals and 4-5 goals bets are 2.45 and 2.65, respectively, which is the range to be expected out of these two teams going head to head. Winning margins by 1, 2, and 3+ for Tottenham are quite high at 6.20, 11.00, and 18.00, respectively. For Liverpool, they are 4.50, 5.60, and 5.20, and therefore all good bets to try out this time around.Â
Outright Bets for the Season
Liverpool is the favorite for every competition they are in right now and there is no denying it. Making season-long outright bets is the favorite way to bet for many people, especially when a team has been dominating this much for the entire first half. For the English Premier League, it should be no surprise that Liverpool FC are the frontrunners with 1.67 odds. The second right now is Arsenal FC with 4.00, the third is Chelsea FC with 7.00, and the defending champions Man City, who have deflated across the board and do not have a win in more than a month, are at 11.00. It is clear to the bookies at Stake who has the highest chances and why.Â
Despite having the same number of goals right now, the difference in the Top Goalscorer of the season is big. Erling Haaland is the leader with 1.62 and is at 13 goals right now. Mo Salah, who is also at 13 goals for the season, has 3.10 odds. It would be a good idea to bet on the Liverpool striker right now as he has a higher chance of continuing his top form. If City drops even further, there is a chance other strikers will get a higher role in order to develop. This would give Salah a chance to get the scoring title over Haaland who is a two-time defending champ. Salah is leading the bookies’ predictions for the PFA Player of the Year with 2.25.
In Europe, Liverpool is the frontrunner with great odds of 4.75 right now. Arsenal is second with 6.50, which is very interesting, and Real Madrid has the same odds despite struggling. The Reds will look to capitalize on their top form and capture the elusive trophy once again with only FC Barcelona (7.00) performing well enough right now to challenge them. It has been a team effort for Liverpool with goalscoring in UCL this season with no clear frontrunner for the top goalscorer. Therefore, there will probably be no bets for them going forward.Â
