Just over a year ago, Jamie Vardy terrorised Liverpool and scored a true contender for goal of the season, in a 2-0 win for Leicester at the King Power Stadium. The incredible volleyed shot which flew past Simon Mignolet was just one of many manifestations of the miracle that was Leicester’s title-winning 2015/16 campaign.
Today, the situation could not be more different. Only a miracle of similar magnitude can now stop Leicester from becoming the first relegated champions since 1938. The odds of that particular event unfolding grow ever shorter, with 15/8 ( Paddy Power) now the best price.
Meanwhile, Liverpool Football Club is far from the meek outfit that finished eighth last term. For all their inexplicable inconsistencies, Jürgen Klopp’s men remain well on course for a top-four finish. They also boast what may be the most hell-raising attacking skills in the entire league – when in form.
Eliminated from the F.A Cup by Millwall – and on current form, soon to be eliminated from the Champions League – the party has not only died but transmogrified into a wake. Even back in August, nobody expected much of Leicester, but the statistics are nothing short of appalling for Claudio Ranieri’s flailing Foxes.
In the last six league games, his Leicester charges have conceded no less than 12 goals. Worse yet, they have done so without once finding the back of the net in response. Where a standard 1X2 bet is concerned, the only worthwhile option for bettors is to delve into the handicap markets.
Given Leicester’s plight, all bookmakers have slashed the typical odds for a Liverpool handicap over bottom half opposition. Subsequently, Paddy Power is offering a market-best 9/2 on a Liverpool win, with a handicap of –2 against.
Overall, this year has begun disastrously for the Reds by their own lofty standards. However, much of the recently-arrested winless run can be attributed to Sadio Mané’s international duties at AFCON 2017.
Liverpool’s most recent game, against fellow Champions League chasers Tottenham, is a case in hand. In his first Anfield start since returning from Gabon, Mané was in inspired form. Within the first eighteen minutes, he netted a double blast which demonstrated his lethal combination of pace and shooting prowess.
If Ranieri has conjured the courage to watch footage from that game, then many sleepless nights will have followed. On Monday, a red-hot Mané’s personal opponents are likely to be Marc Albrighton and Wilifred Ndidi. Bluntly put, the latter has proven to be a sorry excuse of a replacement for N’Golo Kante. However, Albrighton also bears much responsibility and remains badly out of form.
If backing Mané to be the first goalscorer on Monday night, bettors can enjoy odds of 5/1 across at most respected bookmakers. For those of a braver disposition, William Hill is also offering 8/1 on Mané to score two or more goals against a hapless Leicester side.
Above all else, it was Liverpool’s transformed attitude from the first whistle, against Tottenham, which resonated most deeply in the last round of the Premier League.
If a usually well-drilled side like Tottenham can fold in such an alarming manner, then logic dictates that Leicester will do likewise. As such, Sky Bet’s specialist first-half market is currently offering tempting odds of 10/3 on Liverpool to score two or more goals in the opening 45 minutes.
Ultimately, it is only a question of how many the Reds will win by. The official Betcirca prediction for this match is Leicester 0-3 Liverpool, which is available at 12/1 with Bet 365.
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