The round 5 of the Premier League brings us a lot of entertaining duels. This Saturday, for example, we’ll see the clash between Liverpool and Burnley. At the same time, Newcastle United will take on Stoke City.
After losing to Manchester City 5:0 in the previous round, Liverpool need get back on the right track with a home win over Burnley. Stoke, on the other hand, are coming to Newcastle with their heads held high, after a good performance against Manchester United last Saturday.
Liverpool vs. Burnley
Three-Way: 1: Liverpool -278; X: +575 Draw; 2: Burnley +1400
Spread -1.5: Liverpool -118; Burnley +120
Total +3: Over -105; Under +102
LIVERPOOL
In the previous round of the Premier League, Liverpool got thrashed by Manchester City, 5:0. Still, to be fair, the Reds played with 10 men on the pitch for most of the match, since Sadio Mane received a red card in 37th minute. Because of that, Mane will miss the Saturday’s clash against Burnley.
Unfortunately for Liverpool fans, Mani is not the only player who will miss that game. Adam Lallana and Nathan Clyne are definitely out because of injury problems, while Coutinho’s fitness is still a mystery. Although the Brazilian playmaker might not start the game from the very beginning, he is expected to make his Premier League debut this season.
Another player who might not be 100% ready for this game is Mohamed Salah. He’s been struggling with an illness recently, which is why he had to miss a couple of training sessions last week. It is likely that the Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, will decide to let the Egyptian winger get some rest. Not only because Salah would appreciate it, but also because Klopp has several players who could replace him.
One of those is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, a 24-year-old, who joined Liverpool from Arsenal for a fee of €38M. Apart from him, Liverpool has a few more very talented wingers, including Marko Grujic and Dominic Solanke.
Whichever eleven players Klopp decided to choose, one thing is certain – they have the quality to beat Burnley. Another thing in favor of the Reds is that the match is played at the Anfield, the place where they’ve always been fantastic. This season, Liverpool won both of their home matches, with the total goal difference of 5:0. Furthermore, they are without a defeat on their turf since April, when Crystal Palace beat them 2:1.
BURNLEY
Before the season started, the bookies saw Burnley as one of the biggest candidates for relegation. After 4 Premier League rounds, this team is on the 7th spot on the table, with 7 points. Some say that luck has been following Burnley players this season, but they really did put on great performances, especially when playing against much stronger sides.
In the first round, Burnley managed to beat the reigning Premier League champion, Chelsea. The score was 3:2, although to be fair to the Blues, two of their players received red cards in that clash. Even if the lady luck helped Burnley win that match, no one can say that this team didn’t play well against Tottenham.
Last season’s runner-up had lots goal attempts, but they failed to score more than one goal. The punishment came in the stoppage time, when Chris Wood scored the equalizer. Speaking of Wood, he’s one of Burnley’s best players this season. The towering striker has scored 2 goals so far, same as Sam Vokes, who played 2 games more.
Although most of their key outfield players are fit for the Liverpool clash, Burnley’s regular goalkeeper, Tom Heaton is injured. He got substituted out in the game with Crystal Palace last Sunday, which Burnley won 1-0. It seems that his shoulder injury won’t go away that easily, so Heaton will probably miss the duel with Liverpool.
If you don’t think this is a big issue, you should know that he played 35 out of 38 matches last season. In the other 3, Paul Robinson was between the posts. Robinson is now retired, meaning that Nick Pope will have to be Burnley’s goalie against Liverpool. So far, Pope has played only 54 minutes as the goalkeeper of Burnley and will probably be their weakest link on Saturday.
Liverpool vs. Burnley – Match Prediction
Liverpool is looking to bounce right back after the horrible defeat suffered last weekend. I think that they do have the quality for that, especially if Philippe Coutinho makes his return. The Reds will have a massive support from the stands, but their main advantage in this duel will be the fact that Burnley’s first-choice goalkeeper will probably miss the game.
MY PICK: Liverpool -1.5 AH (-118)
Newcastle United vs. Stoke City
Three-Way: 1: Newcastle United +154; X: +229 Draw; 2: Stoke City +245
Spread -0.5: Newcastle United +142; Stoke City -147
Total +2.5: Over +127; Under -132
NEWCASTLE UNITED
Despite two defeats in the first two rounds of the Premier League, Newcastle has managed to get in a proper form. They won their previous two matches, thus moving to the middle of the table. The Magpies are hoping they will be able to stay there at the end of the season. Still, despite their nice recent run, Newcastle is still considered one of the biggest favorites for relegation.
The thing that makes them optimistic ahead of Saturday’s duel is that they’ll play in front of their supporters, at the St. James’ Park. That is the place where Newcastle is always dangerous. Even in the 2015/2016 season, when they got relegated, Newcastle still had decent home stats.
What’s shaking their confidence is the fact that they have a bad score in the recent meetings with Stoke. The last time, Newcastle won all 3 points were back in 2013, but since Stoke won 3 matches, while 2 ended as a draw.
Another thing that’s worrying Newcastle fans is that they will be without several important players. Mbemba and Dummett are out because of injuries, while Mitrovic is serving a suspension for an incident that happened in the duel with West Ham that his team won 3:0.
STOKE CITY
Stoke players are traveling to Newcastle after playing 2:2 with one of the biggest Premier League title contenders, Manchester United. The whole Stoke team was really impressive in that game, although the man of the match was Choupo-Moting, who scored both of his team’s goals.
The striker has joined the club this summer, together with a number of talented players – Wimmer, Jesé, Martins-Indi, Zouma, Fletcher, and others. Together with the players who were already in the squad, Stoke looks ready to compete for a spot in the top half of the table.
So far, they have 5 points, which they earned by beating the mighty Arsenal and playing draw twice, with Stoke and Man Utd. The only game that they lost this season was the one in the opening round, against Everton. Although they’re not flying very high at the moment, they should be proud of their form. After all, they had a pretty tough fixture list so far.
Stoke do have a long injury list, but most of the players who have been crucial this season are fit and ready for the clash with Newcastle!
Newcastle United vs. Stoke City – Match Prediction
Stoke has been playing very well recently. They’ve managed to beat Arsenal and play a draw with Man United. Beating Newcastle should not be a big problem for their players, despite the fact that the game is played at St. James’ Park.
MY PICK: Stoke to win (+245)
