At the moment Liverpool are in such a position that they can really count on qualifying for the UEFA Champions League only from fourth place or by winning the competition itself. Next on the schedule are Burnley, who look like a convenient opponent from whom to take points.
Liverpool
Liverpool trail third-placed Aston Villa by eight points. It is good that they and other rivals have started to drop points; otherwise they might already have fallen out of the race for the top three. The team have recorded three draws in a row, but at least they are not losing, as they did in the autumn. In the previous round the side managed to stop Arsenal, drawing 0:0 at Emirates Stadium. We should note that three of the last five matches at Anfield have finished with a total under 2.5 goals. The only exception was the 4:1 win over Barnsley in the third round of the FA Cup, which is not surprising given the level of an opponent from EFL League One.
Burnley
Burnley also comfortably dealt with Millwall from the EFL Championship in their FA Cup tie, winning 5:1, but they are not allowed that sort of freedom in the Premier League. The positive sign is that since the second half of December the visitors have at least started to pick up points through draws: three stalemates and two defeats, including a 2:2 draw with Manchester United. However, there is still a huge gap of eight points to safety.
Liverpool vs Burnley Prediction
In the first half of the season Liverpool had a difficult time at Turf Moor, and only a 95th-minute penalty converted by Mohamed Salah brought them victory. Now it is unlikely that anything extraordinary will happen, and the hosts should win, but we do not expect more than three goals.
