A real rout
Liverpool have been making life difficult for themselves as of late. They’ve scraped through in the final minutes to seal three points on three consecutive occasions. A favourable Champions League tie against Portuguese Porto will be a relief but you can bet they'll get the job done.
Last minute lurches
It’s not been all smooth sailing for the Scousers since the New Year. Four draws in the league have seen them concede points to title rivals Manchester City.
They’ve been scraping through results as of late only managing to finish off Fulham, Tottenham and Southampton in the final minutes of their respective games. But still you could argue they’ve shown the grit to get the job done that makes champions.
A change of Champions League fortunes
Liverpool were a shock finalists last year, only losing out to a Real Madrid at the last hurdle. They looked like the steam had been knocked out of them in the group stage with losses to Red Star, PSG and Napoli - but they’ve since been reborn.
They showed just how much they’ve come along for the big matches when they saw off Bayern confidently two weeks ago.
Porto’s Portuguese priorities
Porto have got a title race of their own to focus on. Locked at the top with bitter rivals Benfica they’ll have to plan just how much resources they put on their Champions League efforts carefully.
Considering Liverpool have a lot more quality, Porto will feel the pressure a lot more.
Goals from all over the pitch
Liverpool don’t just have Mané, Firmino and Salah up top, they’re scoring goals all over the pitch. Milner, Keita, Henderson, and Fabinho all netted in March.
Betting tip
Considering what Liverpool can achieve when they really turn it on, the gulf in quality of the two, and the fact that the Scousers saw them off by five goals only last season, it would be silly not to back Liverpool.
I’m betting on over 3.5 goals with Betfair at odds of 7/4 (2.75).
