Liverpool v Basel: Back European magic to carry Reds through on nervy night at Anfield

They'll need this lot to be at their best on Tuesday night

The hosts are under serious pressure but have the quality to pull through on Tuesday night, writes James Eastham...

Liverpool v Basel
Tues, 19:45 GMT
Live on ITV1

There have been so many memorable European nights at Anfield down the years and this promises to be one of the biggest in recent seasons. As long as it goes in Liverpool's favour, that is.

As Mike Norman explains in his guide to the various permutations ahead of the final matchday, Liverpool will finish second in the group behind Real Madrid if they win. If Basel win or draw, then the Swiss champions will go through behind Cristiano Ronaldo and co., ratcheting up the pressure a notch on Reds manager Brendan Rodgers. Sit back and enjoy the drama and tension.

Match Odds
Liverpool 1.794/5, Basel 5.24/1, The Draw 3.55/2

Liverpool's odds-on price may be skinny looking at their Premier League home form (W3-D3-L2) but Basel's away form in this competition suggests Liverpool might be the bet. Paulo Sousa's visitors lost 5-1 at Real Madrid and 1-0 at Ludogorets so will have to step it up to get the point they need.

Liverpool may have lost at home to Real Madrid (0-3) but that was to be expected given the gulf between the sides. They won 2-1 at home to Ludogorets and, with the support of a full Anfield behind them, I'd rather be on the hosts than the draw or the visitors.

Over/Under 2.5 Goals
Unders 2.111/10, Overs 1.865/6

Unders is the underdog and that's slightly surprising. Liverpool have scored only 19 goals in 15 Premier League games this season and just 13 times in 12 matches at Anfield in all competitions, plus Basel will naturally look to shut the hosts out, in the early stages at least. If Liverpool score an early goal it becomes a totally different game because Basel need to pick up a point, but I wouldn't bet on Liverpool making that early breakthrough given their recent home scoring patterns: they've netted just two first-half goals in their last eight home outings. Unders is the pick.

Half Time/Full Time

Given Liverpool's first-half difficulties, if you think Liverpool will win, backing Draw/Liverpool in the Half Time/Full Time market at 5.49/2 could be a smart way to play. Seven of Liverpool's 11 home games against top-flight opposition this season have been level at the interval so it would be no surprise to see a nervy and unsuccessful opening 45 minutes for the hosts before they finally come up with a winner.

Second Half Match Odds

This ties in to the advice given for the market above. If Liverpool are to win this game, the pattern of their performances this season suggests the victory will arrive in the second-half. You can get odds of 1.991/1 on Liverpool winning the second-half - i.e. bigger odds than Liverpool winning the game full stop. Remember - for this bet to pay-out, it's not enough for Liverpool to simply end up winners at the end of 90 minutes - they have to actually win the second 45 minutes of football, so it's best to imagine the score being re-set to 0-0 at half-time.

Recommended Bets
Liverpool @ 1.794/5
Under 2.5 Goals @ 2.111/10
Draw/Liverpool @ 5.49/2