No major end of season issues to be decided at Craven Cottage tonight but it should be decent entertainment regardless and I see there being goals.
Liverpool, buoyed enormously since the takeover of Kenny Dalglish as manager, have put together a fine run of results to give themselves an excellent chance of finishing fifth and victory in the capital will go a long way to sealing a Europa League place next term.
The hosts, Fulham, finalists in that competition last season, remain extremely tough to beat in front of their own fans however and Mark Hughes will want his team to finish with a flourish now that top flight safety has been assured.
Just a month or so ago the Welshman was looking nervously over his shoulder at the drop zone but Hughes has seen his side take 13 points form their last seven matches and a top-half finish now looks likely.
That owes much to a rapid improvement in front of goal, Fulham have netted 14 times in that period, and a win on Monday night would take the Cottagers into eighth.
While Fulham’s fortunes have taken a turn for the better in recent weeks, Liverpool’s hugely disappointing start to the season under Roy Dodgson is now long forgotten, too. The Reds have been beaten just twice in 14 Premier League matches, winning nine of those, and Dalglish must surely take plenty of credit for Liverpool’s such fine form.
A 3-1 triumph over Manchester United in early March sparked a run that has yielded 16 points from a possible 21 and it must be encouraging for fans of the Anfield club that Liverpool have smashed eight goals, in beating Birmingham and Newcastle at home, in their last two outings.
With the match odds looking priced accordingly, Liverpool around 2.40 favourites, the value appears to lie in backing both teams to score at a generous 2.00 on Betfair.
Keeping a clean sheet for both sides should prove problematic with both sets of strikers in such decent nick and even the continued absence of Steven Gerrard for the visitors is not enough to dissuade me this is an excellent wager.
3pts Back Both Teams to Score (Fulham vs. Liverpool) @ 2.00 Betfair