Prediction & odds for the game: Liverpool (2/11) v Burnley (14/1) – ST is backing the home win

When: Thursday, 21st January @ 8pm K.O

Where: Anfield

Reigning champions Liverpool will attempt to get their season back on the winning trail when they host Burnley at Anfield on Thursday night.

Liverpool

Liverpool Football Club face a crossroads in the next few weeks with fans hoping they don’t slip into obscurity in the current Premier League title race. They’ve gone a few games without a win in the league now and while they can certainly point to the many injuries they’ve accumulated over the course of the last few months, the same is true for teams up and down the top flight. They have to start thinking differently because if they don’t, the crown will slip through their fingers.

The 7-0 demolition of Crystal Palace feels like a long time ago now as the Reds have followed up on that with draws against West Brom and Newcastle before a narrow defeat at the hands of Southampton. They did beat Aston Villa’s youngsters in the FA Cup, but they proceeded to look quite frail in their 0-0 draw against rivals Manchester United.

Burnley

Burnley are still very much in the relegation battle, because while they may have been able to secure a few important results in recent weeks, that doesn’t make up for the fact that their squad isn’t the strongest when put up against some of the other teams in the bottom half. They have to start scoring goals on a more consistent basis if they want to ensure they aren’t worrying about the drop by the time May rolls around.

Wins over Wolves and Sheffield United gave Burnley hope in the face of a loss to Leeds, and while they did struggle against MK Dons in the FA Cup, their penalty shootout win could be an important moment if they go on to have a strong cup run. In the league, however, they’ve looked less than inspiring in recent 1-0 defeats to Manchester United and West Ham – although they did put up more of a fight against the Red Devils.

Conclusion

Burnley are resilient but Liverpool’s situation is pretty dire now, and they’ll be well aware of the stakes attached to their current run of form. We expect them to come out firing in a big way and while it isn’t going to be the win that makes them favourites for the title by any stretch of the imagination, it’ll give them a bit more confidence that they can kick on and find their scoring feet again.

Our official scoreline prediction is 2-0 Liverpool, meaning we stick with the under 2.5 goals marker.

Verdict: Back the home win at odds of 2/11 and the under 2.5 goals scored at odds of 6/4 (All odds are taken from bet365).

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If you want to bet on Liverpool vs Burnley then head on over to the betting page. Alternatively, you can check out some of the other available fixtures at the soccer predictions page as we continue through the journey of an incredibly unpredictable Premier League campaign.