FST’s 20/1 #OddsOnThat special for Liverpool’s clash with Leeds at Anfield

Updated on 11:15am GMT 11 September 2020

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Born in the south east of Ireland, Simon put his life-long love of football to good use when he started a successful independent blog in 2010. That opened up an alternative route to a career in journalism, and having had work published across a number of sites and publications, Simon joined the staff at Spotlight Sports Group in 2018.

Leeds United finally make their Premier League comeback this weekend after 16 long years in the wilderness of the Championship, and in the toughest of opening tests, Marcelo Bielsa’s team travel to fortress Anfield to take on Jurgen Klopp’s rampaging red machine.

Remarkably, current Premier League champions Liverpool and newly promoted Leeds have both won the same number of English league titles since 1990, though the current gap in stature and class between the two clubs is far bigger than their recent list of domestic honours suggests.

Saturday’s game pits Klopp’s rock n’ roll football against Marcelo Bielsa’s famed possession-based formula in an intriguing meeting between two very different tactical ideologies, though Leeds have it all to do to avoid being trampled over by a Liverpool team determined to start their title defence with a statement performance.

Ahead of the action at Anfield, we’ve put together this five-part #OddsOnThat selection for the game that comes in at a tasty 20/1!

Remember – you can find a more detailed analysis of the match complete with our expert’s verdict and betting tips in our Liverpool vs Leeds predictions.

What is Betfair’s #OddsOnThat?

Betfair’s #OddsOnThat feature allows you create a customised multiples bet based on your own unique picks ahead of a particular football match.

You can choose from a huge variety of markets and once you have decided on your selection, you can request a price for your acca from Betfair on Twitter using the #OddsOnThat hashtag.

Want to add FST’s 20/1 selection straight to your betslip? Check it out below:

FST’s Liverpool vs Leeds #OOT

Liverpool to win

Liverpool were relentlessly consistent at Anfield last season, winning 18 of their 19 fixtures in the red half of Merseyside en-route to landing their first ever Premier League title.

Incredibly, if the Reds avoid defeat this weekend, they will have pushed their unbeaten run at Anfield to 60 games in the league in a superb sequence that stretches all the way back to April 2017.

Liverpool will be keen to put a marker down in their first runout as defending champions on Saturday, and following a decent fitness-building pre-season fixture programme, the Reds should have too much firepower for newly promoted Leeds.

Both teams to score

Liverpool’s attacking prowess was on show right throughout the 2019/20 season, though there was a noticeable regression in their defensive performances near the end of the campaign.

The Reds finished the season with just one clean sheet in their final seven Premier League matches and just three shutouts in their final 15 competitive fixtures overall.

Leeds, who scored in 87% of their Championship fixtures last term, have the technical tools to create opportunities at Anfield, and a consolation effort could be found.

Sadio Mane to score anytime

The quicksilver Sadio Mane notched 18 goals in 35 Premier League appearances last season from his left-sided berth – the majority of which were plundered in games at Anfield.

In total, the Senegalese international hit the net 11 times on home soil – 61% of his overall Premier League haul for the campaign.

The 28-year-old also helped himself to four league goals against the division’s promoted teams, and with his penchant for netting on Merseyside well established, Mane looks a prime candidate to register against Leeds on Saturday.

Mohamed Salah 2+ shots on target

Mohamed Salah was out on his own last season as Liverpool’s most potent attacking threat, and the Egyptian is famed for racking up the attempts on goal.

Salah averaged a whopping 3.9 shots per game in the Premier League last term – a figure that placed him top of the pile for that metric in the entire division.

The 28-year-old was also the league leader in the accuracy stakes in 2019/20, hitting the target with his efforts 1.7 times per 90 minutes on average.

Keen to put his best foot forward in Saturday’s opener against Leeds, Salah looks well capable of testing the visiting keeper multiple times at Anfield again.

Kalvin Phillips to be carded

England international Kalvin Phillips was deployed as Leeds deepest lying midfielder last season, and his stats for the year reflected the fact that he was tasked with winning the ball back for his team.

Phillips averaged more tackles per game (2.6) in the Championship than any of his Elland Road teammates in 2019/20, though the 24-year-old also picked up the joint highest number of bookings.

The anchorman was cautioned nine times in total for his indiscretions in midfielder, and with a busy afternoon anticipated at Anfield this weekend, Phillips attempts to disrupt the flow of Liverpool attacks could see him carded again.