5 Bold Predictions For Liverpool vs. Hull City in Week 9

Although the entire Liverpool team is under the spotlight right now, none are more so than Mario Balotelli. Is he worth the money? Is he a liability? Will he be sold in January? Does he need more time? The questions go on and on, and as Manchester City soon found out, it can be an unwanted distraction for the rest of the team. The Italian is in bad form anyway, so a spell on the bench, and out of the spotlight, will benefit in more ways than one.

Liverpool have struggled all season to defend set-piece plays and that will be an area that Hull will focus on during this game. Hull have good height with three center-backs in the lineup, and then players like Tom Huddlestone and Mohamed Diame in midfield. The Tigers will pose an aerial threat on crosses from corners and free kicks in wide areas, and if Liverpool's defending so far is anything to go by, it will spell trouble for the Reds.

Rickie Lambert must be desperate for a chance to show what he can do as he watches Balotelli stroll around the field from his spot on the Liverpool bench. Balotelli must be close to losing his place in the team, and Lambert will be hoping that means he gets his chance to shine. Lambert does lack in some areas of his play, but the one thing he can do is score goals and he will do exactly that if given the time on the field against Hull.

Mario Balotelli doesn't need to be on the field long to pick up a red card in any given game. The Italian is always a red card liability, and considering the criticism that the Italian has had to endure in recent weeks, expect emotions to boil over for Balotelli in the near future as the pressure continues to escalate. That time could come against Hull, regardless of whether Balotelli starts the game or enters from the bench.

Liverpool really should be beating most teams in their home stadium, but with the situation as it currently is, you could not be confident that they would beat anybody right now -- home or away. Hull will be compact and tough to breakdown, and will almost certainly score, so a draw looks most likely. Hull may even win the game, but Liverpool will certainly not.