It’s not unusual for Liverpool supporters to be counting the minutes until an International Break is over, but with the Reds sitting pretty atop of the Premier League going in to their meeting with Southampton on Saturday, there’s extra impetus to get this latest round of World Cup qualifiers done and dusted so we can get back to the kind of football that really matters.
Ahead of their trip to the South Coast, punters from all over the country will be looking to have a flutter with the bookies, if you haven’t ever betted be sure to check out the Sports Betting Guides from SBAT that will no doubt be flooded with traffic as the Anfield outfit look to keep their blistering run going — a streak that could very well hinge on Brazilian duo Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino getting back to Merseyside in time to hook up with the rest of the squad before marching in on the Saints.
While both Adam Lallana and Sadio Mane have contributed massively to Liverpool’s cause this season, the South Americans have arguably been the fulcrum of the side with ten goals and eight assists shared between the two of them since the start of the campaign. Only a single point separates the league leading Reds from their closest chasers in second placed Chelsea, so keeping the gap as wide as possible is priority number one for Jurgen Klopp and the boys.
The Brazilian national team is set to take on Peru later today in their last World Cup qualifier of 2016 and almost immediately following the final whistle, Coutinho and Firmino will be joined by Blues pair Willian and David Luiz, Manchester City midfield man Fernandinho as well as Paris Saint-Germain star Thiago Silva as the four clubs shell out £30k each to charter a £120k private jet back to the United Kingdom. So, if you were wondering just how important having the Brazilians in the starting eleven is the Reds, now you know.
