Liverpool v Augsburg: Expect a more open second-leg at Anfield

After failing to grab an away goal in the first leg, Al Hain-Cole thinks the Reds will need to be in top form up front against a team that usually find the net in the Europa League

After a 0-0 draw in the first-leg, Liverpool will be hoping to make home advantage count when they welcome Augsburg to Anfield in Thursday’s Europa League tie.

Having have won nine of the 12 meetings with German opponents in front of their own fans, Jurgen Klopp’s men are 5/12 (1.42) favourites with NetBet to take their place in the last 16 by coming out on top here.

The German side secured their first win of 2016 by overcoming Hannover 1-0 in the Bundesliga on Saturday and are available at 25/4 (7.25) to make it two in a row with a shock victory in this one.

The hosts have drawn five of their seven fixtures in this season’s competition, and you can get odds of 33/10 (4.30) on them being held to a stalemate once again.

While a draw away from home is usually considered a positive result, the Reds will in part be ruing their failure to secure an away goal.

Yet to keep a clean sheet on home turf in the Europa League this campaign, Klopp’s men will have to tread carefully when they take on a team that has failed to score only once in this season’s competition – last week’s reverse fixture.

However, having found the net in all but one of their 15 away games in all competitions this season, Markus Weinzierl’s team will certainly back themselves to take advantage of any defensive uncertainty by grabbing a precious away goal.

Well aware of their vulnerability at the back, the home side will instead hope that the front three of Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Daniel Sturridge will rediscover the burgeoning understanding they displayed in the 6-0 away win over Aston Villa recently.

Considering Liverpool have only drawn three blanks in their last 24 European matches on home turf, odds of 21/20 (2.05) look good on them sharing the scoresheet with Augsburg in an attacking display.

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