Prediction: Liverpool vs Luton Town

Verdict: Total away goals under 0.5

Best odds: 11/10

Bookmaker: 888sport

Following their first triumph away to Brentford in the Premier League era at the weekend, Liverpool will be hosting Luton Town at Anfield on Wednesday evening as they strive to keep their place at the top of the Premier League table. The visitors come to Anfield on the back of a disappointing home defeat to Manchester United.

This game has been brought three days forward from the original schedule, due to Liverpool playing Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.

Liverpool

In the early kickoff against Brentford, Liverpool faced a trio of injuries in the first half, dampening the mood. However, the second half brought a more favorable turn of events for Jurgen Klopp’s side at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Despite Darwin Nunez’s opening goal, Liverpool suffered setbacks as Nunez himself, along with Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota, failed to return for the second half due to injury. Nevertheless, Liverpool rallied with goals from Alexis Mac Allister, Mohamed Salah, and Cody Gakpo, securing a convincing victory despite Ivan Toney’s late goal for Brentford.

The customary Klopp celebrations were overshadowed by concerns for the injured players. However, the mood quickly shifted as news of Manchester City’s failure to defeat Chelsea emerged, putting Liverpool in control of their own destiny in the Premier League title race.

With a four-point lead over Manchester City, having played an additional game, and a two-point advantage over Arsenal with equal games played, Liverpool are poised to maintain their position regardless of the outcome of City’s clash with Brentford. Anfield remains a fortress for Liverpool, with their last Premier League home defeat dating back to October 2022.

Furthermore, Liverpool scored at least twice in each of their last five home victories. However, they are yet to keep a clean sheet at Anfield in 2024, conceding in seven consecutive home fixtures.

Team News

The Liverpool medical team faced a busy day at the office on Saturday, as Jones (shin) and Jota (knee) were both substituted off before halftime. Additionally, Nunez was forced off at halftime due to discomfort.

While Nunez and Jones have not been officially ruled out of Wednesday’s game yet, Klopp has indicated that Jota’s knee injury appears to be serious. Consequently, Mohamed Salah is set to make his first start for the club since New Year’s Day.

In addition to Jota, several other players remain sidelined, including Stefan Bajcetic (calf), Joel Matip (knee), Ben Doak (knee), Thiago Alcantara (muscle), Dominik Szoboszlai (thigh), and Trent Alexander-Arnold (knee). Also, Alisson Becker sustained a hamstring injury in Liverpool’s final training session before the Brentford match, leading to Caoimhin Kelleher’s third successive Premier League start in goal.

Luton Town

While Liverpool has occasionally experienced defensive lapses amidst their overall dominance, Luton Town found themselves rueing an early defensive mistake in their Sunday encounter with Manchester United. Rasmus Hojlund capitalized on Amari’i Bell’s underhit backpass to score for the sixth consecutive Premier League match, and his improvised chest finish doubled Manchester United’s lead within the first 10 minutes. Although Carlton Morris managed to pull one back for Luton, the newly-promoted side couldn’t engineer a comeback against the 20-time English champions.

Despite some remarkable last-ditch defensive efforts, Manchester United could have secured a more significant victory margin. However, Luton’s relegation fears heightened as they were pushed below the relegation line following Everton’s draw with Crystal Palace.

Having ended January with three consecutive wins, Luton’s momentum has waned, with the team now winless in their last three fixtures. While they can draw some encouragement from a three-game unbeaten run in Premier League away matches and their gritty 1-1 draw with Liverpool earlier in the season, their struggles at Anfield are likely to continue. Luton have failed to win in any of their previous 14 visits to Liverpool’s iconic ground, marking their longest winless away streak against any team in their professional history.

Team News

Edwards can relate to Klopp’s challenges with enforced attacking changes, as the Hatters lost their top scorer Elijah Adebayo to a hamstring injury during the warm-up on Sunday. The severity of Adebayo’s injury remained unclear immediately after the game.

Mads Andersen (calf) and Marvelous Nakamba (knee) join Adebayo on the absentee list, along with captain Tom Lockyer, who expressed uncertainty about his future in competitive play following his second distressing collapse.

January signing Daiki Hashioka is being gradually introduced to action and may not feature at Anfield. Therefore, Edwards is expected to work with the same group of players from Sunday’s defeat, with Cauley Woodrow stepping in for Adebayo up front.

Conclusion

Luton’s performance against a potent Manchester United side was commendable, and the team has shown resilience away from home in recent weeks. However, the loss of Adebayo is a significant setback for them.

As a result, Liverpool fans can be optimistic about their team’s chances of securing a clean sheet for the first time since the turn of the year. Despite facing injury concerns, the hosts still boast enough attacking prowess to put pressure on the Luton defence.

Verdict: Total away goals under 0.5

Best odds: 11/10

Bookmaker: 888sport