Liverpool v Bayern Munich: Expect Goals as Red seek Vital Lead

Another set of Champions League Round of 16 matches is upon us and once again, we have two English teams in action. First up is Liverpool who host a Bayern Munich team who have not been at their brilliant best this season.

The Reds would have preferred to play away in the first leg so it’s imperative they claim a sizeable win and with Bayern playing catch up to Dortmund in the Bundesliga, Jurgen Klopp’s men will be hopeful of doing just that.

Match Odds

English Premier League leaders Liverpool are favourites to win on the night and are priced at odds on in places but elsewhere, you can pick up the Merseysiders at an industry best of 13/12 with Unibet. That figure leaves a win for Bayern Munich on offer at 13/5 with Betway while the draw completes things at 11/4 with Betway once again.

Those are the prices for the win in 90 minutes but what about the To Qualify market? This is even tighter with some bookies offering the same odds for both sides but elsewhere, Liverpool are narrow favourites at a top price of 5/6 with William Hill while Bayern can be claimed at a best of Even Money with Coral.

Tuesday’s game could be as close as those prices suggest but if Liverpool are to justify their position as favourites, they will need to lift their league form. While they may have won 3-0 against Bournemouth prior to FA Cup weekend, the Reds had drawn their previous two matches as Manchester City caught them up at the top of the table.

That run hasn’t been ideal for Jurgen Klopp and his men but it’s not the worst record and that rest at the weekend should also work in their favour. We’re backing Liverpool for the win on the night but whether it will be enough to seal a quarter final place remains to be seen.

Individual Goal Scorers

Mohamed Salah, Liverpool

There will be some world class strikers on display at Anfield and we have a pair of joint favourites in the first goalscorer betting. Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah is available at 4/1 with William Hill and Betway while you can pick up Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski at that same 4/1 with Coral and BetFred.

Divock Origi is next on the list at 11/2, followed by Daniel Sturridge at 6/1 with RedZoneSports but neither of these two Liverpool strikers would be certain starters. A better option could be Sadio Mane at that same best price of 6/1 or Roberto Firmino at a best of 13/2 with Betway.

Moving through the options, there could be some value further down with Arjen Robben available at best odds of 9/1 with SportingBet. Alternatively, there is former Arsenal striker Serge Gnabry at that same 9/1 with BetBright, Franck Ribery at a tempting top price of 12/1 with SportingBet or Liverpool’s penalty taker James Milner at a best of 14/1 with William Hill and BetFred.

There are plenty of options there but we’re opting for Roberto Firmino to open the scoring. His goals to games ratio is a little down this year with 11 in 31 matches but he’s a constant threat and has drifted to a reasonable 13/2 price.

Other Side Bets

Considering that exceptional firepower on either side it would seem that the Both Teams to Score bet might be one of the safest of the night. It’s predictably short however with Betway quoting the industry best of just 11/20.

By all means take that option if you want a small return but there must surely be some better value elsewhere. We’ll start that search by looking at the Total Goals market and if we were backing over 2.5, we would find best odds of 5/8 with 188Bet. That’s getting better but we think you can be braver in this game and take over 3.5 which comes in at best odds of 8/5 with 888Sport and Unibet.

Liverpool have been scoring freely for most of this season and we don’t think they’ll abandon their attacking style of play for this match. They need to keep it tight at the back but equally need a ‘cushion’ to take back to Anfield.

Expect goals and a possible scoreline of Liverpool 3 Bayern Munich 2. That would drop in at a very handy top price of 83/4 with Sport Pesa but we’ll play safer and stick with the following tips for Tuesday night’s game.

Best Bets:

• Liverpool to win at 13/12 with Unibet
• Roberto Firmino to score the first goal at 13/2 with Betway
• Over 3.5 Goals at 8/5 with 888Sport