WhoScored have previewed this weekend's headline clash between Man City and Liverpool, picking out selections for our brand new Ladbrokes 5-a-side league.
Premier League matches don't get much bigger than Sunday's mouth-watering clash between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad. Predicting the line-ups for both teams is usually a test in itself but we have turned to those considered among the first names on the team-sheet when building our bet. This is where we introduce Ladbrokes' 5-a-side bet builder and the team the guys over at WhoScored have put together a team, powered by stats, that churns out an eye-catching 32/1 return.
Before we dive into the basis of WhoScored's selections, we must first point you in the direction of their special league where you can win even more money on top of your builder. WhoScored.com's own league has over £1000 in cash prizes to be won, including £500 to the winner, as well as free bets for any player that finishes in the top 25% of the leaderboard. All you have to do is select your line-up and place a minimum £1 bet via their official league. Winning bets will be ranked from longest to shortest odds while non-winning bets are ranked by the percentage of the bet that lands, so even if all five of your selections don't come good you still have a chance to win prizes. Now, let's get down to business...
Join the oddchecker x WhoScored £1,000 Prize Pool League
Baller 5-a-side Selections | 32/1 5-a-side team
KEEPER - Alisson to concede 1+ goal
In truth, we are expecting both teams to score in Sunday's mouth-watering match at the Etihad but for the purposes of this bet builder we have selected Alisson. Liverpool have gone 10 years since last keeping a clean sheet at the Etihad since a 1-0 win in the League Cup in 2012 with Pepe Reina in goal.
CRUNCHER - Thiago to make 1+ tackle
After picking up a couple of bookings within the opening five minutes of some of Thiago's early Liverpool appearances, the Spaniard has since developed into a key player for Jurgen Klopp's side at both ends of the pitch. He is still getting stuck in, but doing it far more effectively nowadays. Thiago is averaging nearly 5 tackles a game over his last four league appearances and has made at least 2 tackles in each of his last 11 starts in all competitions.
BALLER - Joel Matip to make 60+ passes
The idea Manchester City will dominate possession and Liverpool will only look to hit on the counter is misplaced. None of the last 11 meetings between the two sides have been won by the team that has finished with the most possession. Over the last two meetings between the two sides, Liverpool's centre-backs have each averaged 88 passes. Joel Matip is averaging 75 a game in the league this season and has not managed fewer than 60 away from home since September. There is huge value in this leg of the builder, with it worth nearly 5/1 alone. Those expecting City to have over 60% of possession are in for a shock.
PLAYMAKER - Andrew Robertson to register an assist
While all of the attention will be on the full-back battle between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joao Cancelo, we actually feel this will create opportunities for Andrew Robertson. He will have a great license to get forward with Kyle Walker unlikely to push forward much down his side. Moreover, Robertson actually has the most assists of any Premier League player in 2022 (8).
SNIPER - Kevin De Bruyne to have 1+ shots
Rounding off our Ladbrokes 5-a-side team is Kevin De Bruyne to have at least one shot in our sniper position. For the first time in his City career, De Bruyne looks set to finish a Premier League campaign with more goals (10) than assists (3). Across his last seven league matches at the Etihad he is averaging 4 shots a game and in the reverse meeting with Liverpool back in October he had five attempts on goal. He also has two goals in his last three league appearances against the Reds.
