Adrian Mills’ selections for Real Madrid’s trip to Anfeld include a win for the hosts and another goal for Mohamed Salah.
The revamped Champions League continues to produce heavyweight encounters, with Real Madrid visiting Anfield on Wednesday night.
The standout clash of the week in Europe sees the runaway Premier League leaders taking on a Real side who are off the pace in the Champions League table.
Real have picked up a couple of big wins domestically to get their season back on track, but will their failings in big matches hurt them once again?
Selection
Liverpool to win
35/40
Mohamed Salah to score anytime
1/1
Liverpool to win 2-1
15/2
Reds to keep good form rolling
Liverpool face a vital week across two fronts, as they host Real Madrid and Manchester City.
They’re the early pacesetters in both the Premier League and Champions League and they are the only side to win each of their first four games in UEFA’s new-look top tournament.
Arne Slot’s side have won 13 of their last 14 games and they head into this week having won five on the bounce following Sunday’s comeback at Southampton. The Reds have still suffered only one defeat under their new boss, so it’s hard to look past them.
Real were expected to kick-on having finally landed Kylian Mbappe, but a lack of additions elsewhere have held them back.
Defensive injuries have taken a toll after the club failed to add cover at the back. David Alaba remains out, while Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao have suffered long-term injuries.
Real are set to miss Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Lucas Vazquez and Aurelien Tchouameni for Wednesday’s clash, which plays into the hosts’ hands. Consider also that the men from Madrid have struggled in big games this term, losing 4-0 at the hands of Barcelona.
Real haven’t convinced across any of their European games so far, either. They needed a late-show to see off Stuttgart, while they fell 2-0 down to Borussia Dortmund at home and lost clashes with Lille and AC Milan.
Given that, the in-form hosts are good value for victory.
Salah’s persistence can pay off
Mohamed Salah’s star turn against Southampton renewed calls for the forward to be handed a new Liverpool deal. The Egyptian is spearheading their fine form this season, scoring six times across their last eight games.
Salah’s form hasn’t been quite as strong in Europe, as he’s scored in one of their four Champions League games to date, netting the clincher in a 2-0 victory against Bologna.
However, Salah does lead the way in terms of shots for the Reds this season in this competition.
He’s had 14 efforts across four games and he’s averaging over a shot on target per game. Given how impressive he was against the Saints, his luck in front of goal in Europe should turn here.
Liverpool to edge out visitors
Following Liverpool’s 3-2 victory on Sunday, this is expected to be a high-scoring game, however, the Reds have scored exactly twice in four of their previous five home matches.
A repeat of that should be enough on Wednesday, as Real have struggled to click going forward in their losses to Milan, Lille and Barca.
This is still the Reds’ toughest clash in the Champions League so far, so don’t back them to runaway with it, a 2-1 home victory is my correct score selection at 15/2.
Visit Betway’s Champions League betting page.
