Klopp’s farewell tour starts against his best man
It was the shock news of Friday for all soccer fans! Jürgen Klopp will leave his beloved Liverpool Football Club at the end of the season. The successful German coach cites his enormous efforts in recent years and declining energy levels as reasons for his decision. But before the former Dortmund player takes his hat off at Anfield Road in the summer after nine years, he still has plenty of plans for the Reds. Four titles are still possible
LFC have the longest road to silverware ahead of them in the world’s most prestigious cup competition. Only the fourth round of the FA Cup is on the program this weekend. That means 32 teams are still involved. Nevertheless, the Reds have high hopes, especially as they have already beaten Arsenal, a direct competitor and title contender, in round three. On paper, an “easier” draw awaits on Sunday. Between Liverpool and Norwich, there seems to be virtually no alternative to betting on the emotionally charged home side
Given that the odds between Liverpool and Norwich are of course clearly in favor of the Premier League leaders, it will be necessary to get a little more creative when placing bets. The crucial question is therefore: How much will the Reds win against the second division side? While the match kicks off at 15:30 German time, we have numerous highlights in France, Italy and Greece in the evening.
Liverpool – statistics & current form
There is no doubt that Jürgen Klopp is already a legend at Liverpool FC. The German coach brought the traditional club out of obscurity, leading them to their first championship in many years and a Champions League triumph. Kloppo also won the FA Cup and the League Cup with the Reds. After the end of this season, however, the club and coach will go their separate ways at the request of the 56-year-old. Klopp announced this to all fans in an emotional and authentic interview on Friday. The timing could hardly be better, as LFC are still dancing at all four weddings and are aiming to win several titles.
In the first game after the announcement, we can now be extremely curious to see what short-term effects this decision will have on the players. It is quite possible that the players, who Klopp could never accuse of anything in terms of attitude anyway, will tear themselves apart even more to give their beloved coach a tailor-made farewell. We completely rule out the possibility that the shock is so great that a prediction of a surprise coup for the blatant underdogs between Liverpool and Norwich suddenly comes true.
Liverpool currently offer no attacking surface
The Reds have simply been too stable and in good form in recent weeks. Klopp’s side have now not lost in 19 competitive matches at national level. Tottenham have been Liverpool’s only English opponents to beat them so far this season. During the week, a 1-1 draw at Fulham secured their place in the League Cup final. In the league, there have been six wins from the last eight games and three successive victories. The form reads outstanding, so in our eyes there is no conceivable scenario in which the 2022 FA Cup winners could be knocked out in the fourth round on Sunday.
Only the personnel situation could be a little more relaxed than it currently is. However, there has also been positive news in this regard recently. Trent Alexander-Arnold could make his comeback on Sunday, Andrew Robertson was back in the squad during the week after three months out and Dominik Szoboszlai has also recovered from injury. In addition to Endo and Salah, Matip, Doak, Thiago, Bajcetic and Tsimikas are still missing. Klopp will no doubt rotate the squad a little ahead of Wednesday’s home game against Chelsea in the Premier League. The quality, combined with the sheer boundless self-confidence and home advantage, nevertheless provides sufficient arguments to also consider the odds on a “to-nil” win for the favorite between Liverpool and Norwich, for example.
Predicted Liverpool line-up:
Kelleher; Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Jones, Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Jota, Gakpo, Nunez
Norwich – Statistics & current form
In recent years, Norwich City have bounced back and forth between the Premier League and the Championship. The Canaries are currently back in England’s second-highest division. However, if those responsible have their way, that is set to change for the upcoming 2024/25 season. Although they are currently only in eighth place in the interim rankings, they have not yet written off a return to the top flight. Why should they? They are currently just two points off one of the coveted play-off places.
The FA Cup is therefore not a top priority, but has proved to be an important oasis of well-being for the club in recent seasons. In 2019/20, for example, they reached the quarter-finals, while in 2021/22 they reached the round of 16. Incidentally, the Canaries were also knocked out by LFC two years ago. This time, we can even imagine that the prediction of a handicap lead for the PL leaders at the break will pay off in the Liverpool v Norwich clash. At Interwetten you can play a 2.55 on Liverpool -1 (1st half)
Norwich don’t give a scare away from home
Norwich’s current form underlines just how difficult the task at atmospheric Anfield Road will be. German coach David Wagner’s side have won just two of their last six league games. In three of those six games, the team in eighth place in the bottom half of the table failed to score a goal. Otherwise, it is more the defense that causes problems. 44 goals conceded is the most of any team in the top half of the table.
The weakness of the East English side away from home also gives little cause for confidence. Only four of their 15 matches away from home have been victorious. On the other hand, there have been three draws and eight defeats. They have conceded 30 of their 44 goals at home. The Canaries have lost three of their last four away games and have also failed to score. It would therefore be a sensation if the second-division side managed to force a replay with a draw on Sunday. However, it is more realistic to assume that Wagner’s team will be shown their limits and will be looking to limit the damage at the end of the match.
Predicted Norwich line-up:
Long; Stacey, Duffy, Hanley, Giannoulis; McLean, Nunez; Sainz, Sara, Hernandez; Idah
Liverpool – Norwich head-to-head / H2H record
68 competitive matches have been played between the two clubs at national level. Liverpool have come out on top in 40 of them. There have also been 14 draws and 14 wins for the Canaries. The record in the FA Cup reads a little better, with Norwich even managing to knock out big LFC three times in seven attempts. However, the last meeting in the world’s oldest cup in 2021/22 went 2-1 to the Reds, who also won both Premier League duels in the same year. Overall, Liverpool will be looking for their seventh consecutive competitive win against Norwich on Sunday afternoon.
Liverpool – Norwich betting tip
The first official chapter of Jürgen Klopp’s six-month farewell tour begins this weekend with a clash against his best man David Wagner. He is now in the service of Norwich City. The two former team-mates will therefore greet each other warmly on Sunday, but will nevertheless put their close male friendship to rest in the 90 minutes that follow. After all, it’s all about reaching the last 16 of the FA Cup.
Admittedly, however, there is every indication that “Kloppo” will once again have the upper hand. The Liverpool v Norwich betting odds do not allow any other conclusions to be drawn. There is no shaking the Reds’ role as favorites, even though the Canaries have performed quite well in this competition in recent years. However, there is currently a difference in class. The Premier League leaders face the Championship’s eighth-placed team, who are fighting for the play-offs.
All preferred betting lines therefore have something to do with LFC progressing with aplomb. The most interesting bet between Liverpool and Norwich is that the hosts will win both halves. Bet365 offers 2.00 at the top for this bet
