This has not been a convincing Liverpool season thus far. A 9-0 battering of Bournemouth aside, the Reds have a couple of late, late victories over Newcastle United and Ajax to their name. The team which came within two results of an unprecedented quadruple in 2021-22 has become an absolute shadow of itself.
So maybe it's surprising that they are such heavy favourites for Tuesday night's Champions League Group A clash against Rangers at Anfield. Jurgen Klopp's side are 1/6 with Betfred to win on the night, while you can get 18/1 for an away win.
Those odds perhaps reflect the fact that Rangers have struggled to stay with opponents in their European group campaign those far. Having suffered a 4-0 league loss to rivals Celtic just a few days before, the Gers got off to the worst possible start in Group A away to Ajax, suffering another 4-0 reverse which again saw them concede three first-half goals. And even when they were holding Serie A pacesetters Napoli at arm's length in their second Champions League fixture at Ibrox, they crumbled to a 3-0 loss after the 55th-minute sending-off of James Sands.
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Rangers' first-half struggles suggest Liverpool's 4/7 to be leading at both half-time and full-time isn't too far off the mark, while you can get 11/4 on there being more than 2.5 goals in the opening 45 minutes.
Given the number of hat-tricks being scored on English soil of late - there were three in the Premier League alone last weekend - it's worth noting that Mo Salah is the favourite to net a treble at Anfield on Tuesday, at 12/1. Then again, when accounting for the fact Liverpool conceded a hat-trick to Brighton & Hove Albion's Leandro Trossard in L4 on Saturday, maybe Antonio Colak's 225/1 or Alfredo Morelos' 250/1 shouldn't immediately be cast off as speculative shouts.
Whatever the result, it's sure to be a magnificent occasion on Merseyside as two great British clubs go head-to-head. Both sides desperately need a victory, even if for very different reasons, making this a crucial fixture in the context of each of their seasons. With Liverpool now ninth in the Premier League with just two wins from seven, they are well off the pace. A further stumble in Europe, and their campaign will have hit a serious fork in the road. Rangers, meanwhile, need to find some momentum in order to keep alive their hopes of regaining the Scottish Premiership title and making a dent in the continental consciousness.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject to Change