Mansfield v Liverpool Preview, Match Prediction and Betting Tips

Mansfield’s reward for beating Lincoln City in the previous round is a glamour home tie against Brendan Roger’s Liverpool.  It took a replay for the Conference side to advance to the 3^rd round, which sees all the big boys entered into the hat.

Liverpool have been more miss than hit this season, but appear to be finally finding their form in front of goal. Wednesday night’s comfortable 3-0 victory over Sunderland at Anfield means they have scored 15 goals in their last 6 league games.

While the jury is still out on Roger’s side, a significant improvement has been their form against sides which they have been expected to beat.  The possession game that the Co. Antrim man has instilled in his players will have the Mansfield team chasing shadows all afternoon, and I believe the inconsistent Reds will have as comfortable an afternoon as they’ve had all season.

Judging by Brendan Roger’s team selections in both the Europa League & The Capitol One Cup, he is likely to rotate his squad slightly, giving fringe players a chance to impress, while still fielding a strong back-bone throughout the side.  With no mid-week game to follow, his players will have a full week to recover before travelling to Old Trafford the following Sunday.

One player who could feature for Liverpool is centre-half Sebastian Coates.  The 22 year old Uruguayan has been the subject of a proposed loan move away from the club during the January transfer window, but should he feature on Sunday, I believe the 9/1 price available for him to score at anytime represents good value. He is a serious attacking threat from corners and set pieces and is worth a bet if he appears on the Liverpool team sheet.

Recommended:  Sebastian Coates anytime scorer @ 12/1 with YouWin (7/1 in places)

New signing Daniel Sturridge is believed to feature at some stage, and it will be interesting to see how the former Chelsea man will link up with the red-hot Luis Suarez in the coming months.  Due to the inferior opposition, both are too short-priced for a first goalscorer bet, and a more appealing bet to me is for an own-goal at any stage at a price of 6/1.  Yes, it’s a speculative bet but not one without a chance by any stretch of the imagination.  With Mansfield likely to be camped in their own box for the majority of the game, and Liverpool susceptible to the odd defending howler, a mistake or big deflection is certainly not out of the question.

Recommended: Own goal scored at anytime @ 9/1 with Bet365 – sign up here get £200 free

Liverpool’s patient possession game will be hugely tiring on the Conference side, and they will struggle to keep pace with the Anfield outfit.  All of their energy will be required to keep the Reds at bay considering they will see very little of the ball during the 90 minutes.  Mansfield have been strong at home this season, and I expect them to show some determined resilience for an hour or so, but Liverpool’s experience and class should see them coast into the 4^th round. 

Recommended:  2^nd Half to be half with the most goals @  11/10 with Betfred – sign up here get £50 free

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