England Premier League
Sunday 21st April 2019
Kick off at 4pm BST
Venue: Cardiff City Stadium
Match Preview:
Arguably the biggest game in the Premier League this weekend. Cardiff are playing to stay in the league and Liverpool are playing to win it.
The gulf in the teams is big and Cardiff will need to find a way to control the pace of the game and try to hit Liverpool on the counter. This is easier said than done given that Jurgen Klopp’s team have lost just once this season and will be the odds on favourites to add Cardiff to their already 26 wins this season.
By this time we will know if Manchester City are back in front by a point or if they have blown the league wide open by drawing or losing to Tottenham. Liverpool will need to stay focused and this match could be a potential banana skin given what is riding on it for Cardiff.
The one positive The Bluebirds have is that they are at home, had this been at Anfield we could be writing this game off right now. Cardiff gave themselves a massive chance to stay in the league when in midweek they beat Brighton 2-0 a club just above them. However, Brighton still have the advantage of playing a game less. In short Neil Warnock’s side need victory here, but they have lost 3 times from the last 5 matches at home and have won here less than 40% of the time, that is simply not a good enough return.
Liverpool advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions League after easing past Porto 6-1 on aggregate and they will play the mighty Barcelona in what should be a mouthwatering game. But it has all been about the Premier League for The Reds and they sense they can win it this season.
Liverpool have won 11 games from 17 away from home and have the best away record in the league. They have conceded 10 goals on the road which is the best record alongside Manchester City, with just one defeat which came against City.
Team News:
Cardiff: Harry Arter is set to miss this game with a calf injury. Aron Gunnarsson should be fit after a back spasm to return to the team
Liverpool: Adam Lallana is being tipped to be back in the squad after his knock. Dejan Lovren has recovered from illness and should also be back. These are the only two concerns for the club heading into this crucial game
Cardiff vs Liverpool Head to Head:
Earlier this season Liverpool beat Cardiff 4-1.
The last time the teams played at Cardiff was in 2014 where we saw 9 goals, as Liverpool won 6-3.
The clubs have played five teams over the past decade with Liverpool winning every game.
Cardiff vs Liverpool Prediction:
Backing Liverpool to win seems like a non starter at odds of around 1.20. But one market which could be of interest is to see more goals in the 2nd half. Normally this fixture could start at a frentic pace with Cardiff quickly being outclassed. But this is a cup final like tie for the home side and they will want to and can give a good performance. This will be our main choice for this game at good odds.
Otherwise it is hard not to see Liverpool getting a win either through sheer quality or luck, which every potential champion-elite side seems to get. Sadio Mane has taken a step back from scoring goals lately, but get on him to do so again once the teamsheets are confirmed because he is due a goal and also scored a brace against Cardiff earlier in the season.
Cardiff vs Liverpool Betting Tips:
Highest Scoring half: 2nd half at 1.91
Anytime goalscorer: Sadio Mane at 1.91
Red Card at 5.00
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