Eintracht Frankfurt v Liverpool: Back shaky Reds to score and concede | OneFootball

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Liverpool have lost their last four competitive matches

Liverpool have lost their last four matches in all competitions and Kevin Hatchard expects their visit to Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday to be highly entertaining.

Eintracht Frankfurt v LiverpoolWednesday 22 October, 20:00Live on TNT Sports

Eagles have provided sensational entertainment

Life is never dull if you're a fan of Eintracht Frankfurt. A youthful, inexperienced side is happy to go toe-to-toe with their opponents and, regardless of the result, that approach tends to produce goals. Their two Champions League matches have seen them win 5-1 against Galatsaray and then lose 5-1 at Atletico Madrid. In the Bundesliga, Frankfurt have scored 19 goals, conceded 18 and failed to keep a clean sheet this term.

Eintracht have built a well-deserved reputation for talent development. Randal Kolo Muani and Willian Pacho were sold to PSG for big money, while Omar Marmoush and Hugo Ekitike have gone to Premier League clubs for massive fees. Sporting director Markus Krösche is one of the best in the business, and has turned down Bayern in the past.

The latest Frankfurt side has plenty of potential gems to polish and sell. Striker Jonathan Burkardt scored a brace in the weekend's 2-2 draw at Freiburg, and has seven goals this season. Japanese wide player Ritsu Doan is creative and tidy, attacking midfielder Can Uzun has enormous potential, and Hugo Larsson is a Swedish midfielder who has attracted admiring glances from plenty of big clubs.

However, Frankfurt do have a soft centre. In Freiburg on Sunday they gave away an early goal, and then let in a late free-kick that young Brazilian keeper Kaua Santos should probably have dealt with better. After the match, Burkardt bemoaned the fact that individual errors had stopped him from being part of the winning team.

Former-Leeds defender Rasmus Kristensen has only just returned from injury, and may not be risked. Young German international Nnamdi Collins is on hand to deputise at right-back if needed. Most of the team picks itself, although Jean-Matteo Bahoya and Ansgar Knauff are pushing Nathaniel Brown hard for the left-wing slot.

Liverpool decline is fixable

Clubs the size and stature of Liverpool rarely lose four competitive games in a row, especially when they are the reigning Premier League champions and have spent hundreds of millions of pounds on a summer transfer splurge. However, despite losses to Crystal Palace, Galatasaray, Chelsea and Manchester United, no-one at Anfield should be pressing the panic button just yet.

The game against United at Anfield on Sunday was a great example. Yes, Liverpool were pretty poor in the opening exchanges, conceded a goal and should've let in two, but they then created a host of chances. Cody Gakpo hit the post three times, scored and then missed a sitter than would have made it 2-2. There were lots of promising positions wasted, Alexander Isak drew a fine save from Senne Lammens, and Ekitike whipped a drive just wide of the far post.

There does, however, need to be a conversation about whether Mo Salah needs a rest. The Egyptian has scored just three goals this term, his work on the ball has been sloppy and he hasn't netted for the Reds in over a month. I don't subscribe to the notion that the veteran is finished as a top player, but perhaps his status as an automatic starter needs to be reviewed if his form continues on this trajectory.

Ekitike could return to start against his former club, while ex-Bundesliga stars Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz could get call-ups. Milos Kerkez has struggled at left-back since joining from Bournemouth, so vice-captain Andy Robertson is in contention for a start.

Reds far too short to take the win

Eintracht Frankfurt are an incredibly unpredictable team. They could catch fire and play Liverpool off the park, or they could be overwhelmed like they were in a recent 3-0 home defeat against Bayern Munich. Either way, there's simply no way I can recommended backing Liverpool at 1.61 in the Match Odds market.

Instead, I'll put together a 2.92 shot on the Sportsbook's Bet Builder. We'll start with BTTS, as that has landed in nine of Liverpool's 12 matches in all competitions, and eight of Eintracht's 10.

Next I'll back Liverpool's keeper (almost certainly Giorgi Mamardashvili) to make at least two saves. The Georgian has made three starts for Liverpool, and has had to make at least two saves in all of them. In the Bundesliga, Eintracht have had 33 shots on target in just seven games.

Finally, I'll back Doan to be fouled at least twice. In his 10 appearances for Frankfurt, the Japan star has been fouled in eight, and fouled multiple times on five occasions. We have our SafeSub feature in operation in this game, so if Doan goes off at any stage, his replacement carries on the bet for us.

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