Premier League: Liverpool vs. Leicester City Preview

Liverpool will be looking for a third successive Premier League win when they host Leicester City at Anfield on Friday night.

The Reds returned to the top flight on Boxing Day with a 3-1 win at Aston Villa home, while Newcastle United beat the Leicester City 3-0.

To quote Merseyside native Paul McCartney, Liverpool fans had a simply fantastic Christmas season as the Reds returned from the World Cup break with the three points against Aston Villa to beat Manchester United by signing the coveted Dutch striker. Cody Gakpo to surprise.

Amidst the excitement of another high-profile striker in January, Liverpool temporarily thanked their lucky stars against Aston Villa, but goals from Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic prompted the response from Ollie Watkins didn’t make sense.

Leaving the West Midlands with all three points hasn’t affected Liverpool’s top-flight result as the Reds remain entrenched in sixth place, but Tottenham Hotspur’s draw with Brentford means Jurgen Klopp’s side are now within only five points from the quarter. Lilywhites who played the game the longest.

Ending a hugely successful but eventful 2022 with a competitive sixth win is nothing less than what Anfield fans are hoping for this week, with only one of their last 31 Premier League home games ending in defeat, even if it happened. Hand in hand with Leeds United just two months ago.

However, the Reds’ top-flight scoreless run at Anfield stands at 31 games since a 1-0 loss to Fulham in March 2021 and they haven’t suffered back-to-back Second Division final defeats since 1961. Game of the Year natural, but there are no prizes for guessing which team made Liverpool miserable at the end of 2021.

Another day, another goal against Leicester City, who arrived on Boxing Day to take on a Newcastle United side who swept almost everyone in their path, but the King Power faithful sent their team to defeat. halftime whistle.

Chris Wood’s penalty, Miguel Almiron’s equalizer and Joelinton’s header sealed three first-half points for the Magpies as Brendan Rodgers’ side returned to their old ways after playing just seven games before the Cup break. received a goal. .

A healthy four points still separate the 13th-placed Foxes from the relegation zone, so Anfield visitors will see 2023 above the dotted line regardless of what happens in this week’s games, but this calendar year will not be remembered for long. the blue

On a lighter note, Leicester can certainly take a boost from a winning streak away from home, four consecutive away wins in all competitions and four goals conceded, including Premier League successes at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton and West. Ham United. .

However, as former Liverpool boss Rodgers knows, Anfield is another witches’ cauldron and Liverpool won 2-0 over the Foxes in February after ending 2021 with a 1-0 defeat to Leicester at the King Power, but the fans are not optimistic. twice.

Gakpo’s imminent arrival comes at an ideal time for Liverpool, who are still without Arthur, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz in the long run, while Roberto Firmino is unlikely to recover from a calf injury.

James Milner (hamstring) and Curtis Jones (shin) are also looking for returns for Liverpool’s game with Brentford on January 2, where Gakpo could potentially be available if Liverpool can work out the details in time with PSV Eindhoven.

World Cup finalist Ibrahima Konate is now training with Liverpool and could be one of the few changes to a packed festive calendar, with fresh legs Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho also able to use the starting eleven.

Meanwhile, the injury added to Leicester’s injury woes in the loss at Newcastle when Dennis Praet, who had just started to re-enter the fray, was caught by Joelinton’s knee in the back and had to be taken off. after 17 minutes. .

The severity of the Belgian’s problem is unclear, but he is expected to recover alongside Ryan Bertrand and Ricardo Pereira. James Justin, Jonny Evans and James Maddison, whose lingering knee injury is again causing him anguish.

Praet’s injury should benefit Ayoze Perez or Marc Albrighton’s chances of returning to the starting line-up, while Jamie Vardy and Wilfred Ndidi could also benefit from a good rotation for the visitors.

Liverpool vs Leicester City H2H Results (Last 5)

    Liverpool: 3 Wins

    Leicester City: 2 Wins

    Draws: 0

Current Form (Last Five Games)

    Liverpool: W  D  W  L  W

    Leicester City: W  W  W  W  L

Liverpool vs Leicester City Head-to-Head and Key Facts :

•         In 18 H2Hs between the sides, Liverpool hold the clear lead. They won 11 games, lost five            and drew two.

•        Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino and Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah have both scored          seven league goals for Liverpool this season.

•        Scotland left-back Andrew Robertson has had five league assists for Liverpool so far.

•        Midfielder James Maddison has scored 11 league goals for Leicester City.

•        Zambian striker Patson Daka has scored three league goals for Leicester City this season.

Probable Lineups:

Liverpool (4-3-3): 

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Nunez, Oxlade-Chamberlain

Bench: Kelleher, Gomez, Phillips, Tsimikas, Bajcetic, Keita, Carvalho, Elliott, Doak

Leicester  City (4-1-4-1): 

Ward; Castagne, Amartey, Faes, Thomas; Soumare; Perez, Tielemans, Dewsbury-Hall, Barnes; Vardy

Bench: Iversen, Soyuncu, Vestergaard, Mendy, Ndidi, Albrighton, Iheanacho, Daka, Braybrooke