Norwich City vs Liverpool Betting Tips (14/08/21) – Back to Basics for Rested Reds Ahead of New Campaign

Here we go again, once more into the breach….

It seems an eternity ago that Liverpool were finishing the 2020/21 Premier League campaign with eight wins from their final ten games, and that was enough to propel the Reds from the doldrums back into the Champions League places.

Jurgen Klopp will be hoping for slightly less chaotic scenes this time around, and to achieve that he can reflect on a quiet summer that has seen one key figure depart but some interesting ‘new’ players return.

It’s hard to underestimate the importance of Gini Wijnaldum. His game matured and changed over the years at Anfield, and while he lost that knack for scoring big goals from midfield he did become an intelligent, well-rounded player that particularly shone in key matches.

Ibrahima Konate has come in, and all of the signs and the stats suggest he is a centre back with a bright future in the game.

And what about those fresh faces at the training ground – Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Harvey Elliott, Takumi Minamino etc. These are, in essence, ‘new’ signings in their own right, bringing much needed class and energy to the ranks.

The upshot? Liverpool head into the 2021/22 campaign stronger than they started the last.

Pre-season results are nothing to get too hung up about, and more important are the performances – the attackers have been amongst the goals, while the likes of Elliott and Minamino have also caught the eye, hinting they could play a part in some capacity this term.

There have been minutes for Van Dijk and Gomez too, while Naby Keita has looked fresher and more in sync during pre-season than he has done for quite some time.

All things considered, Liverpool look in excellent shape – the opening day trip to Carrow Road to take on Norwich City will reveal much more.

Liverpool Team News

There have been a couple of annoying injuries that will prevent Klopp from fielding his strongest available eleven on the opening day.

Andy Robertson has ankle ligament damage and could miss a few games. Kostas Tsimikas has deputised in pre-season and done pretty well, so he may be given the chance to stake his claim at left back ahead of the versatile James Milner.

Milner might actually be deployed in midfield at Carrow Road, given that Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara have both struggled for fitness. Curtis Jones has a concussion and also missed out, so Milner and Fabinho might anchor the midfield with a number eight pressing high up the pitch – Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain might just get the nod.

The standard front three may start, with Diogo Jota taking a watching brief from the bench, and the hope is that Van Dijk will be given the chance to play from the start – Klopp has intimated that he and Gomez are both ready. “I think so, it looks like [they are available to start]. But how it is with these kind of things, we have nothing to rush in this department.”

Norwich City Form

It’s a Premier League return for one of football’s archetypal yo-yo teams.

In the past ten seasons, Norwich City have played five in the top flight and five in the Championship – they’ll be hoping to stick around much longer this time.

This is a well run club that typically recruits well and shops for new players within its means, and they were rewarded with the Championship title in 2020/21 – racking up a handsome 97 points.

On paper, the Canaries aren’t as strong as Liverpool, and the bookmakers have them amongst the favourites for relegation, but on the opening day of the season? You never quite know….

Norwich City vs Liverpool Betting Tips

The beauty of the opening week of games in the Premier League is that you never quite know what’s going to happen – great news for armchair spectators, but not so much for punters looking for some certainty in their bets.

Carrow Road will be raucous – fans will be back for the first time in a long time, and the importance of that should not be underestimated for home teams.

Liverpool should win and probably will, but odds of 1/3 do very little to whet the appetite. We are expecting a better season from those who enjoyed a summer off – Salah and Mane chief among them.

Once again, the bookmakers are undervaluing the likelihood of Mane finding the net here, and so at 11/8 we’re willing to bet that the Senegalese ace gets his season up and running with a goal at anytime.