Burnley's woes to increase at the hands of Reds
Liverpool entertain Burnley at Anfield in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off in the second Premier League gameweek of 2020/2021. The Reds got off to a flawless start with their comfortable 3-0 win away at yo-yo side Norwich City, whilst the Clarets crumbled when hosting Brighton & Hove Albion, having taken the lead at Turf Moor. Sean Dyche's men managed to escape the relegation trapdoor last time, but with real investment in a thin squad non-existent at the time of writing, there is a real chance that they might fall through the floor with a poor start this season. Read our preview here:
Get him to the Greek
Sn injury to first-choice left-back Andrew Robertson has allowed former Olympiacos mainstay Kostas Tsimikas the opportunity to stake his claim for long-term consideration by head coach Jürgen Klopp as a real alternative to his dynamic Scottish colleague. Though rarely utilised last season, the 25 year old acquitted himself well, though was rarely threatened in defensive situations by relatively accommodating opponents in the opener. Here, he won't be so fortunate, regardless of the likelihood that Burnley will have a minority share of possession. Equally, with only Curtis Jones joining Robertson on the treatment table, the rest of the back four pick themselves, with major competition for places at centre back that just wasn't there for long stretches of 2020/2021. Virgil van Dijk will be a big threat whenever he's allowed to roam out from the rest of the unit, and this will be duplicated at set pieces.
Time to come Gudmundsson
Though Icelandic international Jóhann Gudmundsson had one of his better games in a claret and blue shirt last Saturday, the one thing that has consistently eluded him is a goal threat; since being in east Lancashire for half a decade, he has yet to reach double figures for strikes in league competition, but did come desperately close when he hit the inside of the post from the edge of the area against Brighton. There are relatively few other immediate dangers to Liverpool from open play besides awkward customer Chris Wood, and that reality is repeated regardless of the opposition in the top tier. Dwight McNeil is a promising winger on the left flank, but too much of the emphasis is on remaining tight in the predictable 4-4-2.
Mo Salah, mo problems for others
False nine Diogo Jota brought more threat to his marker than Roberto Firmino has typically done for over a year now, and should retain his place in between Sadio Mané and Mo Salah. The front three are going to cause havoc with their movement off the ball for Dyche's side, and bet365 have odds of 3.20 for over 2.5 goals without reply.
