Liverpool has a lot on their plate during the coming weeks. They’re still in the hunt for the English Premier League title though their fate is out of their hands. Manchester City holds a 1 point advantage over Liverpool with both teams having three games left to play. If Manchester City wins out over Burnley, Leicester City and Brighton they’ll claim their second straight Premiership title. Only the matchup against Leicester City is being played at Etihad Stadium but even on the road Manchester City is expected to handle the other two opponents. It has to be particularly frustrating for a Liverpool side that has come close but not won a top level English football title since their First Division championship in 1990. They’ve had an exceptional season with only one EPL loss on their record but barring a stunning turn of events will be left to claim second place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another upcoming assignment for Liverpool is the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona. The first leg will be at Estadio Camp Nou<\/em> on May 1 with the return date at Anfield set for May 7. Barcelona remains the favorite to win the Champions League (+160) but Liverpool is a solid second choice (+240). In addition to the Champions League semifinals, Liverpool will have a pair of Premiership games left to contest following Friday’s game as they play at Newcastle United before hosting Wolverhampton in their EPL finale. Maintaining focus for the end of the EPL season might be a challenge given that they no longer control their own fate in their quest for the championship yet they can finish no lower than second with Tottenham Hotspur a full 18 points back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to playing this game on Friday night to make the logistics of traveling to Spain easier, Liverpool catches another scheduling break as they’ll face the bottom team on the English Premier League table. Huddersfield Town has clearly been overmatched all season but the hard trying Terriers would love to pick up a win over one of England’s elite before they are relegated. That could be an unrealistic goal as Huddersfeld has only 3 wins and 5 draws in 35 matches. Their struggles have been even more pronounced on the road with a 1-3-13 record. Liverpool has been in excellent form all season and are undefeated at home this year in Premiership play. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Liverpool is 15-2-0 at Anfield in EPL play and have won 9 straight in all competitions. There was some concern about Fabinho’s status after suffering a head injury at Cardiff but he’s been training with the team and could play here. On the other hand, Jurgen Klopp has the option of resting key players such as Virgil van Dijk ahead of the Champions League semifinal against Barcelona. The reality is that the qualitative disparity between Liverpool and Huddersfeld is such that the Reds’ reserves could easily handle business on their own. Even so, the prevalent thinking is Liverpool will be at full strength here with minimal change in their starting lineup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Liverpool should win with ease but the price on the game makes it tough to bet. The current soccer betting odds<\/a> show a -1408 three way moneyline and that isn’t of much interest. Nor does laying -3 goals on the handicap hold much appeal since Liverpool would have to win by 4 or more to cash a ticket though the price is a much more palatable -115. Liverpool beat Huddersfield Town 1-0 at John Smith’s Stadium earlier this season and won both meetings last year by identical 3-0 scores. The head to head form and Liverpool’s ability to defend and control tempo makes the Over unattractive as well. The Under is somewhat tenuous given the huge disparity between the teams but it’s hard to see the Reds piling it on against an overmatched opponent. We’ll go with the Under and a couple of proposition plays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n