Sam Allardyce reckons there is no better time for his Blackburn Rovers (5/1 to win) side to travel to Anfield to face Liverpool as the hosts are in the midst of an on-the-field crisis.
Liverpool (4/6 to win, 12/5 draw) have had a disappointing season under Roy Hodgson and their plight has been much-documented. They sit in the Premier League relegation spots with only six points from their opening eight games.
In previous seasons many football fans would not give Blackburn much of a hope at Anfield, but this season things are different.
Liverpool have lost four games already in the league and have been defeated at Anfield by Premier League new-boys Blackpool and, even more embarrassingly, by League Two side Northampton Town in the Carling Cup.
Allardyce goes into the game without captain Chris Samba after his sending off in the draw with Sunderland last time out. Ryan Nelsen is set to come in and replace him, while strikers Benjani (8/1 to be first goal scorer) and Jason Roberts are back in contention.
The experienced manager admits it is a “good time” to be facing Liverpool, but he expects a tough challenge from Hodgson’s side as they look to put in a good performance in their first home game under their new owners.
“They’ve had a difficult time results wise of late, they had a good result in Europe but from our point of view we have a better chance than normal to get a result at Anfield on Sunday,” said Allardyce.
“We have still got to play at our best and I think this time it gives us a better chance of getting a result. You can be at your best many times at Anfield and it still wouldn’t be good enough to get you anything.
“I think at this moment in time it might be good enough to get us something.”
Hodgson is expected to recall captain Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres to the first team after they sat out the Europa League draw with Napoli on Thursday (Liverpool 11/1 to win Europa League).
Glen Johnson and Daniel Agger are also available for Hodgson as the manager looks to stop a rot that has seen Liverpool endure their worst start to a top-flight campaign for more than 50 years.
Bet on the World Cup and get £200. Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.