AFTER calling Liverpool perfectly last weekend we asked Willie Duncan (@Willie_Duncan) to cover their Sunday match with Watford this weekend.
Liverpool v Watford | Sunday 14: 15 | Sky Sports 1
I didn't have much time for Liverpool when I was growing up. I always had a soft spot for Tottenham Hotspur as a kid, mainly due to an uncle who had a season ticket for White Hart Lane, while Spurs signing Jurgen Klinsmann certainly captured my imagination.
If you're a football fan, though, you surely can't help but have some admiration (however grudging it may be) for the transformation of the Reds under the reign of Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool play fast, frenetic and exciting football – fantastic for the neutral, although not necessarily good for your health if you are a fan of the men from Merseyside.
Liverpool's superb 4-2 victory against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park last weekend was punctuated with fine football, with midfield maestro Philippe Coutinho pulling the strings in the middle of the park.
It certainly wasn't flawless; the defensive blunders that gifted Palace both of their goals would have been enough to give Dejan Lovren a sleepless night or two, even if the former Southampton defender did atone to some extent by scoring at the other end.
This weekend, Watford are on Merseyside and Walter Mazzarri's men must figure out the conundrum that, so far this season, only Burnley and Manchester United have got to the bottom of – how do you stop Liverpool from scoring?
The Reds have scored 24 league goals so far this season – the joint highest total in the top flight – and, having scored 11 goals in their three home wins so far this season, Klopp's men will fancy adding to that tally.
By contrast, Watford’s five away fixtures this season have produced just 11 goals – six of those came in the same game – and Mazzarri's men will be determined to keep things tight and try to squeeze the life out of Liverpool at Anfield.
That task, though, may prove to be easier said than done, for the Reds are brimming with belief and, at times this season, they have looked capable of scoring at will.
Watford will come under fire from the first peep of the referee's whistle and punters could profit by backing the hosts to come flying out of the traps on Merseyside; Liverpool have scored two or more first-half goals in all but one of their last six Premier League games and the 41/20 quote from BetStars for that trend to continue here is the best bet for punters.
Best Bets
Watford v Liverpool – Over 1.5 Liverpool First Half Goals (41/20 BetStars)
