Liverpool v Middlesbrough: Can visitors do Arsenal a favour?
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Liverpool head into their final game of the season against Middlesbrough knowing a win will see them qualify for next season’s Champions League at the expense of Arsenal. At least, that’s one way of looking at it.
Failure to beat Boro, coupled with a win for the Gunners at home to Everton will see Liverpool finish outside of the Premier League top four. That’s another.
The question is: what will the Reds do?
It’s no surprise to see the hosts head into this clash as favourites, but 1/9 seems a tad short to us.
Granted, Boro are already down and thus have very little to play for. But that’s not necessarily true.
Pride plays a big part in this game, and the Teessiders know they can have a huge say on proceedings at the top of the table with just a point at Anfield – a place where they’ve not won for 41 years. Pride.
With that in mind, there could be some value in the 24/5 on offer for the visitors to win or draw.
It’s worth noting that this will be the last time several of these players will step out onto a field in a Boro shirt. It’s unlikely Alvaro Negredo, Adama Traore and Ben Gibson will be hanging around for another year.
They’ll want to go out with a bang and give the travelling fans something to cheer, and we’re going 4/1 about him netting at any time.
As for first goalscorers, the head of that market is dominated largely by Liverpool players, with Daniel Sturridge a 12/5 shot to get the ball rolling.
One thing’s for sure, the Reds will not want to let their opponents settle. Steve Agnew’s men love a draw, and have shared the points on no less than 13 occasions already this season – a figure tha can only be bettered by Manchester United.
That’s including draws with the likes of Manchester City (twice), Arsenal, and Everton. It’s 7/1 for draw number 14 this Sunday.
How do Liverpool counter that?
They have to fly out of the traps and break the deadlock early on. The longer this game stays level, the more confidence this Boro side will have. So it could be worth looking at the 5/2 on Liverpool being ahead after 15 minutes.
And if you reckon we’ll see a repeat of the scoreline from last time this pair met, we’re offering 7/1 for the Reds to win 3-0.
Click here for a full list of Liverpool v Middlesbrough odds.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
