The Andoni Iraola Era at Liverpool is off to a rocky start.
The Reds have posted consecutive 2-2 draws to start the new campaign, and they’ve already put themselves behind the 8-ball compared to Arsenal, Manchester City, and Chelsea in the Premier League race.
Furthermore, Liverpool’s opening fixtures were more than manageable. They were road chalk in their trip to Newcastle in Matchweek 1, and then were prohibitive favorites at home against Nottingham Forest. It’s an opportunity squandered, and anything short of three points against Ipswich Town on Friday afternoon will be a big blow.
Liverpool vs. Ipswich Town prediction
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what’s plaguing Liverpool this early in the campaign. The Reds are struggling to keep things tidy in their own half.
Andoni Iraola wants his teams to be active and pressing high up the pitch, but the Reds just don’t seem to have the speed in their ranks to pull off the Spaniard’s system.
Only four teams have allowed more expected goals than Liverpool through two matches this season, and the Reds rank in the middle of the table in shots allowed. Those are concerning numbers considering the quality of competition faced.
Ipswich’s defense grades out even worse, but that should be expected from a newly promoted team. The Tractor Boys were superb in a victory over Sunderland in Matchweek 1, but the defense came unglued on the road against Manchester United.
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The job won’t get any easier against Liverpool’s attack, which has pulled its weight with four goals through the first two matches. Scoring isn’t an issue for Iraola’s side.
Even if Liverpool gets its act together defensively, they have the firepower to get us past the 3.5-goal total on their own on Friday.
The Play: Over 3.5 goals (+110, DraftKings)
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
