WEST BROM host Liverpool on Sunday in the Premier League. Daniel McCulloch (@DMcCulloch1984) shares his favourite fancies.
West Brom vs Liverpool | Sunday 16th May 2021, 16:30 | Sky Sports
At first glance, the 14/1 available on a home victory looks big to me.
West Brom have obviously just been relegated and this has been a really poor campaign for The Baggies. However, I think this current side is significantly better than the one we have seen for the majority of the season.
The loan signings of Okay Yokuslu, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Mbaye Diagne have improved Albion significantly. Indeed since the three of them all started against Manchester United in mid-February, Albion have gained 14 points from 12 league matches having managed just 12 points from their first 23.
Included in that was a draw with Manchester United and a 5-2 victory against Chelsea.
The 14/1 does look big, especially when you consider Liverpool's record against sides in the bottom six.
Jurgen Klopp's men have lost to Burnley, Brighton and Fulham already this term and while all of those fixtures were at Anfield, I don't factor in home vs away form to the same degree given that all matches are played behind closed doors.
If you do have £0.45 left in a random account then I do think there are worse 14/1 shots you could get involved in than this but I will decline the option of formally backing it and instead look at a couple of players in the cards market.
Conor Gallagher and Okay Yokuslu head up this market and I think both are worth a few pennies.
Gallagher is 23/10 to be booked with Skybet, which looks huge given two factors: 1. Gallagher has 10 bookings in 27 games this season and 2. Mike Dean is the ref.
Dean averages 3.6 cards per game this season, well up on average of 2.9.
Yokuslu's price does not look so valuable at first glance as the Turkish international has just three bookings in 13 games in English footballer. However, he has managed 21 fouls in those matches and if he gives Mike Dean 1.6 opportunities to book him then I think Dean takes it. Yokuslu is also 23/10 to be shown a card – this time with BetVictor – and that completes my staking plan.
