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Liverpool vs Monaco Betting Predictions
Odds courtesy of bet365, correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
- Liverpool win & Both teams to score @ 15/8 with bet365
- Florian Wirtz anytime goalscorer @ 11/5 with bet365
- Under 3.5 goals @ 8/11 with bet365
Backing the Reds to win without a clean sheet
Monaco have found the net regularly this summer. They put five past AS Saint Priest and scored twice in a 2-2 draw with Cercle Brugge.
They'll fancy their chances against a Liverpool defence that is being held together with tape, van Dijk aside. Iraola is desperately short at centre-back. The second-half collapse against Leeds showed what happens when the rotations start.
The Reds should still have far too much quality at Anfield, particularly against opponents playing their second game in three days. However, keeping a clean sheet seems optimistic. This appears to be the top value bet from our trio of Liverpool vs Monaco predictions.
- Liverpool vs Monaco Bet 1: Liverpool win & Both teams to score at odds of 15/8 with bet365
Wirtz to build on showing against Leeds
Florian Wirtz marked his return from an extended post-World Cup break with a well-taken goal against Leeds. That is the version of him Liverpool have been waiting for.
A difficult debut campaign is behind him; this is season two on Merseyside. It’s likely that the language, the league and the intensity are no longer new.
Iraola's system should suit him too: high pressing, quick vertical transitions and a free role between the lines. Expect him to start and play a decent chunk of the first half against tiring legs. Backing him to score at any time at a probability of just 31.25% looks like a decent play.
- Liverpool vs Monaco Bet 2: Florian Wirtz anytime goalscorer at odds of 11/5 with bet365
Iraola wants to see his team tighten up at the back
With the Newcastle opener a fortnight away, this is the game where Iraola gets his first-choice back line on the pitch.
Alisson is available, and Virgil van Dijk is restored after his extended break. Milos Kerkez returns at left-back, and Jeremie Frimpong is cleared after his precautionary substitution in Chicago.
Monaco, meanwhile, are three days on from Getafe and unlikely to chase the game. Two of Liverpool's three pre-season outings have gone over this line, so it isn't risk-free. Yet, Iraola wants to see his team put on a controlled defensive display back at Anfield. The danger is another chaotic final half-hour once both benches are empty.
- Liverpool vs Monaco Bet 3: Under 3.5 goals at odds of 8/11 with bet365
Our analysis: Form of both teams
Score prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Monaco
Goalscorers prediction: Liverpool: Wirtz, Isak - Monaco: Biereth
Liverpool begin their Anfield pre-season double-header build-up on Sunday afternoon. The Reds welcome AS Monaco. It's the first meeting between the clubs since the 2004/05 Champions League group stage. That was the season the Reds went on to lift the trophy in Istanbul.
For Liverpool, this is Andoni Iraola's first outing in front of the Kop as head coach. The Reds return from a US tour that ended badly. They were 2-0 up against Leeds in Chicago. Iraola made wholesale changes at the break, and Liverpool subsequently conceded four in a row.
Iraola's biggest problem is personnel. Joe Gomez, Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni are all sidelined. Meanwhile, £74m summer signing Jeremy Jacquet has yet to train with the group. Argentine midfielder Alexis Mac Allister isn't back from World Cup duty.
Monaco arrive under new management too, with Filipe Luís overseeing his first pre-season after last season's seventh-placed Ligue 1 finish. They beat Getafe 1-0 at the Louis-II on Thursday.
The complication for Luís is scheduling. This is a second friendly inside 72 hours, with the squad based at St George's Park. In addition, Maghnes Akliouche's move to PSG was confirmed an hour before the Getafe game. His departure leaves a big void to fill.
Probable lineups for Liverpool vs Monaco
Liverpool expected lineup: Mamardashvili, Frimpong, Ndiaye, van Dijk, Kerkez, Nyoni, Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Elliott, Ngumoha, Isak
AS Monaco expected lineup: Hradecký, Vanderson, Sané, Dier (c), Nazinho, Cabral, Camara, Abline, Golovin, Detourbet, Biereth