Prizing:

1st Place: $25 Amazon gift card

2nd-5th Place: $10 Amazon gift card

Top 5 winners

Overview:

On Sunday, August 27^th, (1-0-1) Arsenal will be on the road to take on (1-0-1) Liverpool.

The Crowd:

“The Crowd” projects a final score of Arsenal 1.5 – Liverpool 1.2 with an over/under of 2.7.

Statistics 2017-18 (20 Teams):

Goals: Arsenal 4 (5^th) = Liverpool 4 (5^th)

Assists: Arsenal 4 (2^nd) > Liverpool 2 (7^th)

Shots per game: Arsenal 22.5 (1^st) > Liverpool 18.5 (4^th)

Goals Allowed: Liverpool 3 (9^th) > Arsenal 4 (14^th)

Possession: Arsenal 67.5% (1^st) > Liverpool 59.6% (4^th)

Pass Success: Arsenal 86.4% (3^rd) > Liverpool 80.3% (7^th)

Top Scorers:

Liverpool: Sadio Mane 2 (2^nd)

Arsenal: Olivier Giroud, Alexandre Lacazette, Aaron Ramsey (tied for 12^th)

Summary:

Arsenal finished with a (23-9-6) record last season which was good for 5^th place in the Premier League.  Arsenal made a huge offseason splash signing forward Alexandre Lacazette.  Lacazette was a force for Lyon last season scoring 28 goals in 30 matches.  Arsenal was already loaded with young talent but the one thing separating them from the elite teams was a top-notch striker.  Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil are among the best at their position in the world.  In 2016, Arsenal ranked 5^th in goals (77) and 6^th in goals allowed (44).

Liverpool’s (22-6-10) record last season helped them to secure a 4^th place finish in the Premier League.  There are rumors swirling that Barcelona is trying to make a huge offer for midfielder Philippe Coutinho, but he is irreplaceable for Liverpool.  Liverpool added winger Mohamed Salah which should help to provide them with width and speed.  Last season Liverpool ranked 4^th in goals scored (78) and 5^th in fewest goals allowed (42).  Arsenal will be the more rested team having played only once in the last week compared to three games for Liverpool.  That rest makes a huge difference for two teams that are so evenly matched and is why I’m predicting Arsenal will win by a goal.

Contest Rules:

To be eligible to win a prize in any contest at The Crowd’s Line, you must be at least 18 years old and a resident of the United States or Canada. You must also submit your score prediction on our official prediction tool (blog widget), and include a valid email address. Contest winners are determined according to The Crowd’s Line scoring methodology. If more than one entrant has the same winning score, final contest rankings and prize winners are selected by random draw. Only one entry per person is allowed for each contest; multiple entries from a single player will be deemed invalid. There are no prize substitutions or exchanges available from The Crowd’s Line. All contest prizes will be sent by email within 5-7 business days after the conclusion of each contest.