After kicking off their league campaign with a disappointing 3-0 defeat to West Brom, Liverpool’s fine performance in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City seems to have restored some faith in the Brendan Rodgers project.

Although the former Swansea boss’s reign is still in its infancy on Merseyside, there are signs that his methods are starting to take seed with his new players, and the Anfield faithful will be hoping to see further improvement in tonight’s Europa League tie with Hearts.

The Reds ran out comfortable 1-0 winners in the away leg a week ago, and are firm 1/5 (1.20) favourites with to finish the job with a win this evening.

Liverpool’s last home defeat in this competition was against Celtic nine years ago, but few give Hearts much hope of reproducing their Scottish compatriots’ result in this match.

The Jambos are hefty 14/1 (15.00) outsiders to grab their first Europa League away victory in eight years, against the three-time Uefa Cup winners.

John McGlynn’s side have drawn three of their first four league games this season, and you can get odds of 5/1 (6.00) on them claiming a creditable draw today.

The Reds have only conceded once in their last eight Europa League encounters, and if they can control possession as they did in Edinburgh last week then Hearts should not get too many chances on goal.

You can back the home side to win without conceding at odds of 3/4 (1.75), as they have in all three of their European ties this season.

With Lucas injured, new signing Nuri Sahin still ineligible and a number of midfielders set to be rested either in preparation for Sunday’s clash against Arsenal or to finalise last-minute moves away from the club, Jonjo Shelvey should play a major role in the centre of the park.

The England Under-21 international demonstrated his keen eye for goal last season, scoring six times in ten games whilst on loan at Blackpool, before opening his Liverpool account with goals against Oldham and Chelsea on his return to Anfield. At 11/4 (3.75), he looks like great value to get on the score-sheet this evening.

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Al Hain-Cole is a Liverpool fan, experienced tipster and avid follower of European football. He specialises in accumulators and if you would like to read more from Al you can follow him on Twitter here.

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This Sunday sees a couple of very inviting fixtures where the value looks to lie with the visitors.

Arsene Wenger will take Arsenal to Anfield where they will be facing a Liverpool side that are also in a transitional stage and this will be a good measure of where both teams stand at the moment.

Despite the Gunners firing blanks in their opening two matches of the season they certainly looked more cohesive in defence when facing Stoke last weekend and it should only be a matter of time before the strikers find their shooting boots.

 
Arsenal do have a reasonable record at Anfield where they have won two and drawn three of their last five visits.

Indeed, Arsenal look good value here and are priced at  13/5 (3.60) and those who do think Wenger’s side will get something from the game will do well to keep the draw on your side.

Arsenal can be backed on the Asian Handicap +0.5 goals at a very tempting 7/8 (1.88) .

It was good to see Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers experimenting with youth in the side and the fans will certainly have been encouraged by the debut of promising 17-year-old Raheem Sterling.  

Liverpool are priced at Evens (2.00) and in truth this price is unrealistic and we should remember that despite winning four of their last 10 home games to teams of Arsenal’s grading, they have only won four of their last 20 home games.

Priced at 8/11 (1.73) both teams to score looks a very strong stat as both teams have scored in all six of their previous meetings at Anfield and this looks a solid option.

Later on in the afternoon, Sir Alex Ferguson takes his Manchester United side to newly-promoted Southampton.

This fixture will always be remembered for a game played in 1996 when Southampton beat United 6-3 and Sir Alex blamed the grey shirts his side were wearing that day for the defeat.

I do not envisage any such problems for United in this fixture as their record away to teams of Southampton’s  grading reads won eight drawn none lost two.

Nigel Adkins’ side have certainly created chances in their opening two league games this season but were taught a huge lesson in last weekend’s 2-0 home defeat to Wigan.

It doesn’t get any easier for the Saints though and I anticipate a comfortable afternoon for the reds and backing Manchester United to win on the -1 goal handicap at Evens (2.00) looks a solid selection.

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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has hinted that he remains open to offers for striker Andy Carroll, stating that the club cannot afford to retain “£35 million players as third-choice strikers”.

Carroll has been linked with a return to his former club, Newcastle United, and was also the subject of a loan bid from West Ham with a view to a permanent transfer if the London club achieved Premier League survival.

The 23-year-old is the Reds’ record signing by some distance but has found his opportunities at the club limited since Rodgers arrived from Swansea City to replace Kenny Dalglish as manager.

“You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to see that Andy has been a cover player for us,” Rodgers told reporters.

“He has been excellent in terms of his attitude and his acceptance of where he is at but, for us as a football club, and I am talking generically here, I’m not sure we are in a position to have £35m players as third-choice strikers or wingers who might be on £5m-£6m a year. I don’t think the football club is in that position.

“This is the challenge that I have to work something but it is not going to be done overnight.”