Liverpool vs. AS Roma July 23, 2014 Prediction

After a disappointing result against Brondby of the Danish Superliga, Liverpool travels to the United States to continue their pre-season tour. Liverpool will play a friendly against AS Roma on Wednesday, July 23, 2014 at Fenway Park, the famous home of the Boston Red Sox.

Both European clubs are in the United States for the Guinness International Champions Cup, which features six other European giants, and thirteen lucky American cities that get to host these games.

Both of these clubs also qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the upcoming year after a hiatus of club championship football.  Roma returns to Champions League for the first time since 2011 and Liverpool has been absent since 2010. The two sides will not be playing Champions League-quality soccer on Wednesday, but this game will be entertaining, nonetheless.

AS Roma comes to the states, with a few new names (Juan Manuel Iturbe, Salih Uçan, and Ashley Cole) on its roster, and recent wins over Orlando FC (a 1-nil win) and Indonesia’s U-23 team (3-1).

Liverpool arrives in Boston, licking its wounds after a 2-1 defeat to Brondby and a come-from-behind win to beat Preston 2-1.  The Brondby game should not raise many questions because it is the first game of the preseason and there is still lots of training left for the team.  However, for a side with many subs, the team looked stagnant, confused by its teammates and a bit out of shape, physically and tactically.

What Liverpool Fans Should Watch For

Liverpool needs to be better with the fluidity of the team.  Granted that is hard to do with the amount of players on hand and more subs than usual with the friendly rules; Brendan Rodgers made six changes at halftime against Brondby that seemed to change the flow of the game. However, since the whole squad is now back, look for some better passing and movement that comes from the chemistry that the first teamers have built.

Philippe Coutinho was the man of the match for Liverpool against Brondby, and he brought a punch against Preston.  He brought energy and electricity to the team that seemed to be lacking elsewhere on the pitch.  He was not afraid to take defenders on one on one, and he made several nice passes over the defense to spur on his teammates.  Look for this to continue against Roma, and hopefully he will be paired up with Daniel Sturridge or Rickie Lambert.

The defense needs to be better.  Liverpool have allowed early first half goals in both preseason fixtures so far, and Brondby’s game-winner came in extra time.  So far, it appears the team starts to focus after allowing an early goal, but they need to come focused to start the game.  And then keep the concentration all the way to the end.  With a bigger name, such as AS Roma, I would think the intensity would come right from the start.

Lastly, keep an eye on the substitutions.  With the larger amounts of subs allowed, watch for the paired subs that come on together, and watch to see who Brendan Rodgers pairs with who.  With so much youth and new faces on this squad, this will be the interesting part of the preseason.  Who can leave a mark in their shortened playing time and who can mix and match with the rest of the squad better?

Liverpool vs AS Roma Prediction

These two teams met in Fenway two years ago, with Roma winning 2-1.  This will be a fun game, with two historical sides meeting, and maybe it is a prelude to a Champions League fixture later on. However, Liverpool should be able to flip the script this time and take home the win by a 2-1 margin.

Netherlands 0 - 0 Argentina (Argentina win 4-2 on pen): Highlights and Key Battles

The second semi-final of Brazil 2014 kicked off just 24 hours after the one before it, but could not have been more different. While the Germany-Brazil showdown was a goal fest, this was more of a snooze fest, goalless until the end and with real chances at goal coming only late on in regular time.

Argentina won the penalty shootout 4-2 thanks to two saves from keeper Sergio Romero, booking a spot in the Maracana final against Germany.

Both sides seemed preoccupied with snuffing out each other's star players - Argentina's Lionel Messi and the Netherlands' Arjen Robben - that they failed to, or were unable to create much potent attacking chances for themselves.

The game for long looked destined for penalty kicks, and Louis Van Gaal will be left to wonder what might have been if he had saved one last substitution for Tim Krul.

Highlights

- Argentina began the match looking bright down the right flank through Ezequiel Lavezzi, although most of his crosses ended up being ineffective. Messi and Robben were largely silenced throughout the match, with the first shot bearing any resemblance to a goal came only in the 75th minute. A run by Enzo Perez down the right sends in a great cross to find Gonzalo Higuain, but the chance is squandered when the striker sent it wide of the post. 

- Robben finally breaks away in literally the last minute of regular time and is through on goal, but takes one too many touches and allows Javier Mascherano to perform a brilliant tackle to scurry the ball away from danger. The Argentinian had been solid in midfield for his side, soldiering on despite going down after a hard clash of heads earlier in the game. 

- Rodrigo Palacio threatened to break the deadlock in extra-time, getting behind Dutch defense but opts to head the ball - a little too gently - rather than try for a volley. Sends the ball right into Dutch keeper Jasper Cillessen's hands. 

- Spotkicks: Romero gives Argentina a headstart by saving the first from Ron Vlaar, then another from Wesley Sneijder. Cillessen, who has never saved a penalty kick in his entire professional career, continues that unflattering run.

Key battles

- Vlaar v Argentinian attack 

The Aston Villa centreback was rock solid holding the defence together, putting a halt to attacks in open play and from setpieces. Interceptions were well-timed, took on Messi, and should take bulk of the credit for helping the Netherlands keep a clean sheet until the shootout. 

- Robben v Argentinian defence 

Mascherano was on Robben's case right from the start, depriving him of touches with many big plays and Demichelis did a good job of shutting down space for Robben. Zabaleta also did some work in preventing the fleet-footed Dutch player from enjoying his usual runs. 

Man of the match

Ron Vlaar 

Was the first to take to the spot for the penalty shootout, and despite having his attempt saved by Romero, was still the best player on the pitch over 120 minutes. 

Up until the 115th minute, he had won 100 per cent of his tackles, aerial duels made 11 clearances and six interceptions with a 92 per cent pass accuracy. Numbers don't lie. 

Paris Saint Germain could have got a lot more by paying a lot less if they had called Vlaar up instead of David Luiz. 

What this result means

Plain and simple: Messi in the Maracana. He will lead his team to face the rampant Germany, who would probably have been taking a second dip in their jacuzzis while watching Argentina slog out a result for 120 minutes.

2014 World Cup Picks: Netherlands vs. Argentina

Netherlands is a match win away from a second consecutive World Cup finals, but bookies’ favourites Argentina stand in their way. Can Netherlands upset the odds in their favour, or will Argentina come through according to expectations?

Netherlands has navigated a successful course into the World Cup semi-finals, coming through on the attractive +100 odds to reach the penultimate round, which bookies installed during the group stage. Netherlands got off to a strong start with a 5-1 destruction of La Furia Roja. They went on to beat Australia 3-2 and Chile 2-0 to finish Group B with a perfect 3-0-0 record.Netherlands at the disadvantage
In the knockouts, Netherlands was very fortunate to get past a resolute Mexico in regulation time. A late gasp effort saw the Dutch notch two goals to win 2-1. In the quarterfinals, Costa Rica gave the Oranje a right run for their money. Los Ticos held them to a scoreless draw through regulation time and extra time before breaking down during the penalties. One could argue Dutch manager Louis van Gaal’s decision to substitute goalkeepers for the penalties was a stroke of genius as Tim Krul made two pivotal saves that sent the Dutch into the semis and that simultaneously broke Costa Rican hearts worldwide.

Argentina favouredArgentina enter their clash with the Dutch as the favourites, but its debatable whether they actually deserve to be. Argentina made it through the group stage all right, winning all three matches. However, they were made to work harder than most expected they would be in a relatively easy group and that has taken the shine off their odds in some soccer betting circles.
In the knockouts, Argentina were put through the ringer by a gutsy Switzerland. As most favourites in the R16, Argentina were forced into extra time. Very nearly into penalties but for a bit of Messi-inspired magic that saw Di Maria score the winning goal. The quarterfinals pit Argentina against tournament dark horses Belgium. Although Argentina got on the board early thanks to Higuain’s first goal of the tournament, they were tested sorely for the duration of the 90 minutes. Most concerning, they weren’t able to breakdown the Belgians afterwards and they were only just able to hold on to the slim 1-0 lead until the final whistle.

Netherlands vs. Argentina Match Betting Tips & PicksOdds makers send Netherlands into this clash as the underdogs at +240, which is a bit disingenuous all things being considered, namely they are a match-win away from a second straight World Cup finals. What’s more, Louis Van Gaal has proven to be a tactical genius at these finals. His shrewd decisions along with some stellar play from his Oranje have charted a course into the semis. So as far as value underdogs go, Netherlands is nothing but value.
Argentina’s path into the semis, by contrast, leaves much to be desired. Each and every match has shown a heavy reliance on Messi’s magical touch and revealed offense to be struggling something huge. When you have a player of Messi’s ilk on your team, offensive concerns aren’t necessarily deciding against lesser opposition. That might not be the case against heavyweights such as the Dutch are. Indeed, odds makers aren’t entirely convinced as they send Argentina into the semis as the favourites, albeit on the short side of even money at +140 to win outright.
Just like the Brazil vs. Germany clash, this match could go either way. Argentina are the favourites to win outright at +140, the favourites to reach the final at -143 and the competition favourites at +250 to win outright. Netherlands has been punching above their perceived weight class from the start of the competition and they are a match win away from gaining vindication for their run in the 2010 World Cup finals. They loom dangerous, so much so that Argentina nor World Cup bettors can take anything for granted. If anything, they would appear to be the value World Cup pick to win outright at +240.