Game week 26 Predictions: Liverpool to beat Norwich

Roberto Firminho was the star of the midweek game against Inter Milan and in the absence of Diogo Jota, he can run the show for Liverpool against Norwich. (Photo credit: Sky Sports)

Liverpool vs Norwich
Anfield Stadium
4:00pm

Liverpool will beat Norwich, there are no two ways about it and there’s no other result to be expected from this fixture, even Dean Smith will only ask by how many goals, not a question of if they’ll get a result from Anfield.

Upsets happen in football and the best of bookies will leave room for one, but Liverpool are fresh out of a dominant performance over Inter Milan in the champions league and they know that a win over Norwich heaps pressure on Manchester City who can drop points against Spurs, it’s a simple case.

Norwich have been monstrous since Dean Smith joined them, the Canaries have jumped out of the bottom three once under the former Villa manager for the first time since day one of the current league season, they can dream possibilities but at Anfield?

Liverpool’s home ground is a spiritual stadium of noise and passion, it’s a pure case of David against Goliath but the visitors will need more than stones to pick anything at all against Jurgen Klopp’s side on Saturday in this fixture.

How will Norwich line up? The goal will be to limit Liverpool’s number of goals so expect a negative set up that will aim for long balls on the counter attack and Liverpool’s high line will encourage runs from whoever starts upfront for Norwich.

For Liverpool, it’s academic and more of a training session. If you know Klopp enough you’d expect him to give it everything regardless. He needs match fitness for Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane after their return from AFCON and Luis Dias also needs integration.

Liverpool will be without Portuguese forward Diogo Jota who was injured in the midweek win over the Italians and should be out for about two weeks, FPL manager are already shipping him out and Dias will be a good replacement in that regard.

It’s not a surprise but Norwich have lost each of their last five against the Kops, they haven’t even found the net against Liverpool in any of the last three and that doesn’t very much look like changing in this fixture, miracles do happen anyways.