Stats: Firmino closing in on goal landmark
Roberto Firmino is nearing a goalscoring milestone for Liverpool.
The No.9 goes into Sunday’s away game at Cardiff City two short of recording his 50th Premier League strike for the Reds.
A second-half header against FC Porto in midweek took Firmino’s overall goal tally for the club to 66 in 189 appearances.
Read on for more pre-match facts and figures from LFC statistician Ged Rea…
Xherdan Shaqiri scored his first goal for Liverpool in a 4-1 victory at Anfield in the reverse fixture back in October - a game in which Virgil van Dijk captained the Reds for the first time.
That was the third Premier League meeting between the clubs, with those fixtures having produced 18 goals. The Reds won the two games in 2013-14 3-1 and 6-3 respectively.
That 6-3 success in March 2014 was Liverpool’s last trip to the Cardiff City Stadium. Luis Suarez scored a hat-trick that day, with Martin Skrtel (two) and Daniel Sturridge also on the mark.
There has never been a 0-0 draw in 33 games played between the sides in all competitions and the Reds are two goals away from registering 50 in league matches against Cardiff.
Liverpool have won 26 league games so far this season - in only three previous campaigns have they won more. They won 27 in the Second Division in 1904-05 (34 games) and in 1961-62 (42 games). Only once in the top flight have they recorded more victories (30 in 1978-79).
Thirty-four Premier League outings this term have seen the Reds amass 85 points. In only nine seasons (converted to three points for a win) have they totalled more, and a win on Sunday would see them hit their joint-fourth-highest ever points tally (based on three points for a win).
Jürgen Klopp’s team are unbeaten in their last 17 games in all competitions, winning 12 and drawing five. They have won eight in a row since the goalless stalemate with Everton in early March.
In seven of their last 10 fixtures, Liverpool have scored at least once in the final 10 minutes.