At last. The world’s most exciting championship is starting – the English Premier League. After a few months of waiting, we will have the opportunity to watch some of the best players in the world, competing at the highest possible level. The honor to open this campaign have Liverpool and Norwich City. We don’t need to tell you much about their ambitions. The Reds are aiming a trophy and are desperate to have one, while on the other side, Norwich wants to avoid the relegation. The time of the match in unusual for England, Friday, but that is something which will become a regular thing in the future.
Match Preview
Liverpool missed a chance to win the first trophy of the season this Sunday. Klopp’s team lost against Manchester City in the Community Shield after penalties, 5-4. Both sides scored once during the regular 90 minutes, with Liverpool having a chance to add another goal in the finish of the match. Following a slow start, in which City dominated, the Reds bounced back and pressured the Sky-Blues who held out until the final whistle. Klopp was happy despite the fact that his team lost. Liverpool showed that they have the key for City’s defense and the game overall, which means that the UCL champions kept their level of play, and maybe even upgraded it. Only one in the previous six events the Reds played didn’t saw both teams netting. Also since the start of the preseason matches, the clash against City is the only with under 2.5 goals. But as we stated earlier, it could have been totally different.
The Canaries had mixed success during the preseason. They recorded three wins, two losses, and one draw. In the final test, Norwich defeated Toulouse with a minimal result, 1-0. Before that, they even managed to beat the German side, Schalke 04 with 2-1. But on the other hand, Atalanta trashed the new Premiership member with 1-4. In general, they haven’t been that excellent and were oscillating a lot. What is constant in their games is efficiency. All games except the one against Toulouse saw over 2.5 goals. In fact, four out six ended with over 3.5 scores. The clash against the French side was the single one without hits on both sides. When we check further back in the past, prior to that event, the Canaries played 11 straight matches with both teams to net and with over 2.5 goals. It was their trademark while competing in the Championship.
Head to Head
The last match these two teams played was fantastic. The fans saw nine goals on January 23, 2016, with Liverpool’s shocking win 5-4. Adam Lallana silenced the Carrow Road in the fifth minute of the stoppage time, with Sebastian Bassong equalizing just two minutes before that. Overall these two sides played 64 times so far, and the Reds recorded 35 victories. Norwich had 14 triumphs, and 15 matches ended without winners. The latest success of the Canaries took place 25 years ago when they defeated Liverpool at Anfield, 0-1.
Prediction
Liverpool played well against Man City, and they will have Sadio Mane at disposal too, which means that the Reds are absolute favorites. The odds on plain win are too low, and because of that we will suggest betting on hosts triumph with a -1.5 Asian handicap. The offer from BetXChange is solid, and the odds are at 0.48. For the second recommendation, we would be much bolder and chase a bit bigger profits. Over 1.5 goals in the first 45 minutes will more than double your stake, as the odds in that sit at 1.07.
