Liverpool will try to keep their English Premier League title hopes alive this weekend when they host last-place Swansea City at Anfield on Saturday, January 21st. Liverpool blew a late lead against Manchester United away at Old Trafford last weekend and had to settle for a 1-1 draw. They then managed to edge Plymouth Argyle 1-0 away in a third round FA Cup replay. The teams had played to a 0-0 draw in Liverpool 10 days earlier. Meanwhile, Swansea was smoked 4-0 at home by Arsenal last weekend and shot themselves in the foot with a couple of own goals.
Liverpool vs Swansea City – 5Dimes Soccer Betting Line:
- 5Dimes currently lists Liverpool as the favorites to win the game at -441 with Swansea +1363 and a draw at +231
Liverpool vs Swansea City – Head to Head:
- The clubs met back in October with Liverpool winning 2-1 in Swansea. They met twice last season with Swansea winning 3-1 at home and Liverpool winning 1-0 at Anfield. Swansea has just one win in the last 10 meetings with two draws and seven defeats. Overall, these two sides have met just 40 times in the past with Liverpool winning 22, losing 10 and drawing the other eight.
Liverpool – A Closer Look:
Liverpool enters the weekend in a second-place tie with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, seven points back of Chelsea. They have 45 points from 13 victories, six draws and two losses with a league-high 49 goals for and just 24 against. Their aim is to finish the campaign at least in the top four to earn a spot in next season’s European Champions League. They’re also legitimate challengers for the title as well as both the FA Cup and English League Cup. The Reds have just one win in their past four outings in all competitions with a defeat and three draws.
Overall, Liverpool has lost just two of their 25 matches in all competitions though. Manager Jurgen Klopp has several injury concerns to deal with as forward Danny Ings and goaltender Adam Bogdan are out for the season while defender Nathan Clyne and midfielder Marko Grujic are listed as day to day. In addition, Sadio Mane is away with Senegal at the African Cup of Nations and Joel Matip is awaiting clearance from FIFA to play. Liverpool is unbeaten at home in league play with seven wins and two draws along with 26 goals for and just seven against. They have eight clean sheets in their last 14 contests in all competitions.
Swansea City – A Closer Look:
Swansea City will need a bit of a miracle along with several wins if they’re going to avoid being relegated at the end of the campaign. They enter the weekend in last place in the 20-team Premier League with just 15 points out of a possible 63 after 21 games. They have four wins, three draws and 14 losses on the season with 23 goals for and a league-worst 49 against. Paul Clement is now the team’s third manager of the campaign after both Francesco Guidolin and Bob Bradley were sacked. Alan Curtis was also in charge for a week on an interim basis.
Swansea has won just two away games this season along with one draw and seven defeats. They’ve scored nine away goals and allowed 22 against. The team enters the 22nd round of action with three victories, a draw and six losses in their last 10 matches with 13 goals scored and 28 allowed. Clement has just a couple of injury problems to deal with as defender Neil Taylor is questionable for the game and forward Jefferson Montero isn’t expected back until the end of January. Forward Modou Barrow is questionable. The Swans are tied with Sunderland on points, but have a worse goal differential. They’re one point behind both Hull City and Crystal Palace and the safety zone.
Liverpool vs Swansea City – Takeaway:
Both sides need the points, but obviously both can’t have them. Anything but a win for Liverpool will be considered a loss while a draw for Swansea will be considered a victory.
by Ian S. Palmer
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