Liverpool v Brighton: Positive Result Needed for Reds in Season Finale

The culmination of the Premier League season looked to be hugely exciting at both ends of the league standings with one month to go. Most of the permutations – somewhat sadly – have organised themselves, as the 2017/18 campaign reaches its season end on Sunday afternoon.

One of the few remaining intangibles sees Liverpool and Chelsea battling it out for the remaining Champions League spot which comes through finishing in fourth place in the Premier League table. Chelsea did their hopes no favours on Wednesday evening by drawing 1-1 at home to Huddersfield Town, to leave the Blues two points behind Liverpool, with a largely inferior goal difference.

Liverpool host Chris Hughton’s Brighton side at Anfield – kick-off: 15:00 – with Jurgen Klopp’s outfit looking for one more point to guarantee top-tier European football next season – irrespective of what transpires with their huge upcoming Champions League Final clash with Real Madrid in Kiev.

Brighton will hope to end their successful debut season in the Premier League with some cheer for their travelling support, but it looks to be a difficult task against free-scoring Liverpool on their home patch.

Match Odds

If you’re interested in placing a wager on Liverpool to win this contest, you’ll need to be brave to make the bet worthwhile, as the bookmakers have the Reds at a prohibitively short price for victory. 188Bet has Klopp’s side as the 2/11 favourites to win the match, which in all honesty, is ridiculously short – especially as one point would suffice for CL qualification.

The Draw is available at the best industry price of 36/5 with Marathonbet, while a win for the Seagulls can be had with Marathonbet and Unibet at the huge odds of 17/1.

Liverpool have a fine recent record at Anfield, which explains the prohibitive odds on the Merseysiders. 2/11 is far too short however, and we will look for better value in other selections.

Individual Goal Scorers

Mohamed Salah has scored 31 Premier League goals so far this season – but in similarity to the Match Odds market, he’s incredibly poor value. The Egyptian is just a 7/4 chance with Black Type to open the scoring, and although Marathonbet go up to 41/20, he’s still not worth backing with at least 19 other potential runners in this market.

Salah’s fellow strike partner, Roberto Firmino is much better value at the 9/2 on offer with Boylesports. The hard-working Brazilian adds industry as well as goals to the Liverpool attack, and he could be the one to chance at a more backable price.

Some notable other prices come from Sadio Mane – who is in fine form currently – at 5/1 with Boylesports. As an aside, you could split stakes on backing Firmino and Mane and get relatively the same odds as Salah, which seems far more sensible.

Brighton striker, Glenn Murray is their shortest priced player to score an opening goal on Sunday afternoon, with Sport Pesa offering 23/2 on the veteran forward. Jose Izquierdo has shown glimpses of genuine ability for the Seagulls this season, and Sport Pesa are once again the place to be with their top price of 22/1 on the Colombian wide man.

Other Side Bets

In searching for better value bets on a Liverpool victory, we look towards the Half-Time / Full-Time market for some more rewarding odds. For this bet to win, we need the Reds to be leading at the break and go on to win the game. Coral and Ladbrokes currently offer the best odds of 8/13 on this eventuality and it rates as our strongest bet of the game.

As an alternative in the Handicap market, Brighton with a three-goal start is worth a second-look at 8/13 with Coral. Anything better than a two-goal defeat for the Seagulls and this bet wins. Liverpool need a positive result from the game admittedly, but a three-goal victory could well be beyond the Merseysiders.

A different option for punting on Liverpool would be to back Klopp’s outfit to Win the game to Nil at 17/20 with Betway. The Reds have conceded just two goals – via their 5-2 win over Roma in Champions League Semi-Final – in their last seven outings in front of their home supporters. Brighton are not the strongest attacking force in the Premier League – 34 goals from 37 games – and this bet also rates as decent value.

Our Correct Score offering is a 2-0 victory for Liverpool at 25/4 with 10Bet and Sport Pesa. I believe that Liverpool will win this game, but not fully exert themselves with their hugely important Champions League Final with Real Madrid on the horizon. Brighton have little to gain from the fixture, in what is expected to be a routine win for the Reds.

Best Bets:

• Liverpool to be winning at Half-Time and Full-Time at 8/13 with Coral
• Roberto Firmino First Goalscorer at 9/2 with Boylesports
• Liverpool 2-0 Brighton Correct Score at 25/4 with 10Bet