The Premier League returns and so does Norwich City, who are back in the top division after winning the EFL Championship last year.
Jurgen Klopp will be hoping that Liverpool can offer more of a challenge to Man City than last year and that’ll need to start with three points at Carrow Road.
Check out our Norwich vs. Liverpool EPL tips and predictions for Saturday, August 14.
Norwich City vs Liverpool game info
• Location: Carrow Road, Norwich, England
• Date: Saturday, August 14, 2021
• Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
• TV: NBC, Universo, fubo TV, Sling Blue, Hulu+ Live TV
Norwich City vs Liverpool betting tips
- Liverpool (-350)
- Halftime/Fulltime – Draw/Liverpool (+300)
Read on for complete analysis
Norwich City vs Liverpool match odds
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Norwich City vs Liverpool betting preview
Weather
It’ll be a dry but cloudy Saturday in Norwich, with temperatures of around 70 degrees. It should be ideal conditions for soccer.
Injuries
Norwich City: Todd Cantwell (Doubtful), Grant Hanley (Questionable), Onel Hernandez (Questionable), Jordan Hugill (Questionable), Przemyslaw Placheta (Questionable), Bali Mumba (Questionable), Milot Rashica (Questionable).
Liverpool: Andy Robertson (Out), Curtis Jones (Doubtful).
Norwich City vs Liverpool predictions
Side pick
Liverpool and Norwich open their respective seasons with the final Premier League game on Saturday's slate. These two met in their season opener back in 2019, the last time Norwich were in the Premier League, and Liverpool won 4-1.
This time it feels different. Back in the 2019-20 season, it was Liverpool who were in the ascendency as they had a great season before, which gave them the platform for their first-ever Premier League win. This time they enter the season after a disappointing campaign, albeit one in which they still somehow finished third.
They missed their talisman Virgil van Dijk, who is expected to be back and starting this game, and their famous front three felt tired, especially Sadio Mane, who wasn’t quite at the level we’d seen previously.
Meanwhile, Norwich spent last season playing great soccer and winning the Championship. They didn’t sack manager Daniel Farke during their Premier League relegation season — and sticking with him was the right choice as they bounced back brilliantly. They’ve lost the brilliant Emi Buendia to Aston Villa, and he’ll be a huge loss, but there’s still plenty to like about Norwich.
While Premier League title rivals Manchester City, Chelsea, and Manchester United have been splashing the cash it’s been a quiet transfer window for Liverpool with Jurgen Klopp only adding one player — Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig — to bolster his defensive ranks. A large part of their fanbase are furious but the returns of van Dijk from injury, the further development of Diego Jota, and the return of youngster Harvey Elliott from loan give them options.
Unlike last season, it looks like a fairly healthy Liverpool squad for their opener, with only left back Andy Robertson missing from the starting eleven. His spot will likely be filled by Konstantinos Tsimikas and we should see Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah back as the wide prongs in Liverpool’s attack, although it’s unclear whether they’ll partner either Roberto Firmino or Diego Jota.
Firminio has been a fantastic servant for Liverpool but in Jota it looks like they have a real star — and one who can offer more goals to go alongside his build-up play.
I don’t have much hope for Norwich getting a point from this game, let alone three, and with Todd Cantwell doubtful that feeling is only getting stronger. If he misses the game we’ll need to see Milot Rashica and Mario Vrancic take over some of his creative tasks.
Norwich play the game in the right way and are a fantastic club but this is a tough ask, with Liverpool healthy and ready to make amends for a bad season last year. At -350 the bookies are just as certain about a Liverpool win and it’s very hard to look elsewhere in terms of a result.
PICK: Liverpool (-350)
Halftime/Full-time pick
Make no mistake, Liverpool should win this game but there is one price on the market that really leaps out at me.
That price is +300 on the game to be tied at halftime, with Liverpool winning at full-time. Getting 3/1 odds feels like a very long price for a number of reasons.
Firstly, this has been a short summer. You always expect teams to start their new seasons with a bang but last season was a real grind because of the pandemic, then Euro 2020 and the Copa America shortened this summer break even more. These are some of the finest athletes in the world but that could still leave a physical toll here.
Secondly, Norwich will be keeping this game incredibly tight. Daniel Farke will have learned from his mistakes in 2019-20 and I believe that while he won’t want to sacrifice his style, he will be slightly more defensive, something which could easily see this game being 0-0 at halftime.
Third and finally, the fans. This will be the first game at Carrow Road with a full crowd in attendance since the start of the pandemic. A passionate, fired-up, and vocal crowd will give the Canaries a huge boost.
Ultimately, Liverpool have real quality in their ranks and will take the three points here but a committed display from Norwich City will make them work hard for it. At +300 you can’t look past the game being a draw at halftime before a winner from Liverpool.
PICK: Draw/Liverpool (+300)
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