Brendan Rodgers’ side have been dominant at Anfield in in recent weeks, and Jamie Dickenson thinks the Reds can punish a struggling Baggies team on Monday evening

Monday night’s Premier League fixture sees Liverpool host West Bromwich Albion at Anfield, as Brendan Rodgers’ side look to keep pace with their rivals for a top-four place.

The Reds have won five of their last six league fixtures, and are in no danger of being under-rated by bookmakers Coral, who price the home team at just 2/5 (1.40) for victory.

West Brom are in the midst of a poor run of form, without a win in eight games in all competitions and having had to endure two public embarrassments from their own players within 10 days.

The Baggies – who are priced as long as 7/1 (8.0) to beat Liverpool – witnessed striker Peter Odemwingie fail to force through a transfer to QPR on deadline day and then saw Goran Popov’s dismissed for spitting at Kyle Walker of Tottenham.

Popov has since apologised, and Odemwingie looks like being brought back into Steve Clarke’s set-up in the West Midlands, but even a draw at 7/2 (4.50) looks beyond the visitors when they make the trip to Merseyside.

Those looking for greater value backing heavy favourites Liverpool will be interested in the home side winning to nil at 23/20 (2.15), given all six of the Reds league triumphs at Anfield have come with a clean sheet.

Their last three matches on their own patch have ended 5-0 (Norwich), 3-0 (Sunderland) and 4-0 (Fulham), and supporting another dominant home display appears to be a potentially profitable opportunity.

Southampton, Wigan and Reading make up the six Premier League wins to nil, and achieving another result of that ilk against West Brom – who in ninth would be the best placed side on that list –  looks tricky but far from improbable given the Baggies current slump.

The side from the West Midlands are yet to win in 2013, and lost to Spurs last time out without scoring.

Raheem Sterling could be involved again for Rodgers’ team, who also look set to put Daniel Sturridge through a late fitness test to determine the level of his participation.

Even if Sturridge misses out, Liverpool look strong enough to take all three points with relative ease, and can rely on top-scorer Luis Suarez to fire them to victory.

The Uruguay international is quite a short price to net anytime at 4/5 (1.80), but may be worth backing to break the deadlock at a more inviting price of 10/3 (4.33).

Suarez struck the first goal during the recent 2-2 draw at Arsenal, and now has eight in his last eight matches and 22 for the season in all competitions.

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Jamie Dickenson is a 22-year-old freelance journalist who specialises in football, sports and betting.

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The England winger has struggled to justify the €23.5 million Kenny Dalglish paid for him in 2011 but has recently improved to win back his place under the current Anfield boss

Stewart Downing believes that as long as he continues his current form, it will be difficult for boss Brendan Rodgers to leave him out of his Liverpool starting XI.

Downing has attracted much criticism for his performances since making a £20 million [€23.5m] move from Aston Villa to Anfield in the summer of 2011, with youngster Raheem Sterling and then nominal full-back Jose Enrique chosen ahead of him in the wider midfield roles this season.

However, a recent up-turn in form has seen the 28-year-old win back his place in the starting XI, with the player stating he has used Rodgers’ public criticism of him earlier this season as motivation to improve, particularly with the Reds strengthening once again in January.

“When the manager gave me a change again, it was probably the last one I was going to get as he was looking at bringing players in,” Downing admitted to reporters.

“If I keep playing well, he can’t leave me out. That’s how I see it at the minute. Every time I play is a chance to prove him wrong. But if you don’t perform, he will be disappointed and you won’t play.”

Rodgers did add Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho to his squad and Downing revealed that the possibility of further signings in the summer is spurring him on.

“If he does strengthen again in the summer, it will be good for the team. But every game I play, I have to do well as I know he is going to strengthen.”

The Baggies manager and former Reds coach believes the players signed by Kenny Dalglish during his time at Anfield are starting to show their real potential for the club

West Brom manager Steve Clarke believes Liverpool are “playing the best football in the Premier League” with the signings made during his time at Anfield.

The former Liverpool coach takes the Baggies to the Merseyside outfit on Monday night – a ground where they triumphed 1-0 last season – in the hope of leapfrogging the Reds into eighth place.

And Clarke, who worked under Kenny Dalglish when Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson and Jose Enrique were recruited, believes every Liverpool player is starting to show their true talent.

He told ESPN: “I’m not surprised now that some of the younger players are starting to flourish [at Liverpool], or some of the more experienced ones that Kenny signed. It can take a period of time for people to settle into a club the size of Liverpool.

“For Stewart Downing to be in the team and Jordan Henderson, as well as Jose Enrique, and doing really well, is good. Luis Suarez has really settled into the club now and, if you look at it at this stage, Liverpool are probably playing the best football in the Premier League.”

And Clarke also praised the influence of Dalglish’s successor at Liverpool, Brendan Rogers, for his tactical nous and positive impact on the current squad.

“I don’t think there’s anybody in football now who thinks you just turn up at a club and create a good team just because they’re a great, historical club,” added Clarke.

“You have to work at it. Every club in the league has to work hard to try to put a good team on the pitch and you have to work as hard as you can with your players.

“Brendan went in there with a different philosophy to Kenny but Liverpool have always tried to play good football. Brendan has slightly different ideas that maybe took a little bit of time to get across. But you can see now that the team is starting to gel and maybe starting to play the way Brendan wants them to play.

“They had a difficult start but they have picked up and are doing really well and it’s going to be a tough night for us. But hopefully West Brom can get the same result as they did last year at Anfield.”