An unlikely best bet for Liverpool’s trip to Crystal Palace
Published:It is no secret that if Liverpool fail to win the Premier League this season, then alongside Steven Gerrard’s unfortunate trip at work, it is their inability to keep clean sheets that may ultimately prove their undoing.
Most telling is their troubles keeping things tight on the road. Only five teams have kept fewer away clean sheets than Liverpool’s meagre total of four, with Aston Villa and Sunderland among the clubs to have managed more.
Having prevented the opposition from scoring only once in their last seven home or away, waiting until two games to go before turning over a new leaf may be leaving things a bit late, but an away clean sheet does look on the cards at Crystal Palace.
After all, Palace have only scored two goals across their home games with top-half opposition this season.
Meanwhile, this tally only increases to eight when taking into account their home and away outings against the Premier League’s top 10, with three of these goals coming in a rare moment of scoring resourcefulness at Everton.
Dwight Gayle did score for Palace at Anfield earlier in the season, although his late strike was nothing more than a consolation in a 3-1 reverse.
Both of the Eagles’ home goals against the top opposition have also arrived after half time, so punters not sure about the Liverpool clean sheet may want to reduce the risk by taking the 2/5 that Palace fail to score in the opening period.
Liverpool have typically started games at a frantic pace this season and given their need to win here to maintain any hope of being champions, a similar opening can be expected.
The 15/8 on offer for the first half to be the highest scoring does seem especially generous, with the Reds scoring 22 more goals before the half-time oranges in this campaign, compared to after the break.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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