There is still everything to play for in Group E in the Champions League, where three teams are battling for two spots. Liverpool is in first place with nine points, but they’re just three ahead of Spartak Moscow, who are in third place. Sevilla visits NK Maribor, who are in last place, and Spartak Moscow might need a win at Liverpool as well as some luck to get to the knockout stage.
What To Know About Spartak Moscow
Spartak Moscow drew 1-1 at home with NK Maribor in their last Champions League match, and if they don’t progress to the next round, they’ll look back on their draws with the Slovenian team with disdain. Ze Luis scored in the 82nd minute to give Spartak Moscow the lead, but then they allowed an injury-time goal to drop two vital points and now Spartak Moscow needs some help from NK Maribor. Quincy Promes and Ze Luis have scored two goals apiece for Spartak Moscow, with five more players scoring one goal, and they do have a goal differential of +3, so they have that going for them. But with four more points that they dropped against NK Maribor, Spartak Moscow would be atop the group if everything stayed the same with everyone else. Now, they have to throw caution to the win on the road against Liverpool. Spartak Moscow has a draw and a loss on the road in the Champions League and they have been outscored 3-2.
What To Know About Liverpool
Liverpool would have clinched top spot in the group with a win at Sevilla, and they looked poised to do so after 30 minutes as Roberto Firmino scored a pair of goals and Sadio Mane added another. However, Sevilla would storm back to score three goals in the second half to get a point in a 3-3 draw and again, Liverpool’s defense would haunt them as it has in the English Premier League as well. Firmino’s five goals leads Liverpool in the Champions League, while Mohamed Salah has four goals and has been playing very well as of late. Philippe Coutinho has scored two goals and chipped in with two assists, and Liverpool can be a devastating team going forward. However, there are a lot of questions about their defense and while they’ll have enough to make it to the next round, they should be cruising into this final game. It could also come back to bite them later. Liverpool has a win and a draw at home in the Champions League with a combined score of 5-2.
Outlook
Liverpool will be favored at home at -400, while Spartak Moscow comes in at +900 and a draw is rated at +500. Each team has two wins and a draw in their five meetings, and they played to a 1-1 stalemate at Spartak Moscow on September 26th. Fernando opened the scoring for the home team in the 23rd minute, and Coutinho equalized eight minutes later. Liverpool should win this game at home as they’re aided by Spartak Moscow needing to go for a win, which will open them up at the back.
Champions League Betting Pick: Liverpool
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