Positive signs for Liverpool, Rangers poised for the SPL

Five stats about this weekend’s football

1. Victory over West Brom guarantees Liverpool their best points finish (83 possibly rising to 86) since taking 90 in 1987-88.

2. Barring a very unlikely set of results next week, it is also likely to be the first time in 19 seasons that Liverpool have finished the season with the strongest goal difference in the division.

3. Nine teams have failed to beat a Big Four side in the Premier League this season, an improvement on last season’s 11 and Sunderland still have a chance to strike themselves off that list against Chelsea next weekend.

Posted: May 19th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Liverpool are unlikely to do the double over Real Madrid

Liverpool/Real Madrid, 7.45pm, ITV1, Free Bets, Best Odds

Juande Ramos has promised that the “famous Anfield roar” holds no fear for his side and who can blame him when it hasn’t intimidated teams like Stoke and Hull this season. The Sun today reported that 91% of teams who win the away leg 1-0 progress, bringing into question ITV’s decision to again give Liverpool prominence over Chelsea, but while the Reds should still qualify, here are five reasons why they won’t win tonight:

1. Liverpool haven’t won consecutive home games since October. They have played twelve times at Anfield since their 1-0 win over Portsmouth over four months ago but have won just five of them.

2. Rafael Benitez’s side have won both the home and away legs of a Champions League knockout tie on just two of their last nine attempts.

3. Real Madrid have won four consecutive away games since facing Barcelona in Juande Ramos’ game. They haven’t conceded a goal throughout that run, have scored eleven times and have managed at least two goals in each game.

Posted: March 10th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Statistics to help you bet on Merseyside derby goalscorers

Everton/Liverpool, 8.10pm, ITV1, Free Bets, Best Odds

Steven Gerrard has been Liverpool’s hero in the last two Merseyside derbies but is that run likely to continue tonight? chickendinner have examined the prospects of all the most likely goalscorers:

Tim Cahill - The Australian has scored four goals in eight Merseyside derbies and has fired nine times against Big Four opposition.

Mikel Arteta - The Spanish midfielder has notched three times in his last three appearances at Goodison Park but has only ever scored once against Big Four opposition (Chelsea in 2006).

Marouane Fellaini - Since a run of three goals in four games in October, Fellaini has fired just once in twelve.

Steven Gerrard - The England midfielder scored in each of the previous two Merseyside derbies this month, although he has only scored in three of his last twelve away games.

Posted: February 4th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Liverpool win whenever they concede first, West Ham lose

Sky Sports stats offers more misery to worried West Ham fans

The pick of the stats in Martin Tyler’s weekly Sky Sports column is a table showing how many points each Premier League team has taken this season after conceding first. Tellingly, table-toppers Liverpool have won all four games that they have trailed while relegation-threatened West Ham, have lost all seven after going behind.

It’s another worrying stat for West Ham fans to accompany the one that, despite having the fourth-best first-half record, they have the worst record in the whole division after the interval. The Sky Sports table listed the teams in order of total points won, which skews things slightly as teams like Hull have trailed far more often than Liverpool and Manchester United.

So to reflect things in a more balanced manner, chickendinner has ranked the teams on their average points per game where they have conceded the first goal. This shows just how superior to everyone else Liverpool are at fighting back as well as showing that Chelsea aren’t too shabby at it either. Check out where your club stand after the jump:

Posted: December 11th, 2008 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment