England Premier League
Tuesday 28th December 2021
Kick off at 8pm GMT
Venue: King Power Stadium
Match Preview:
Not many teams will score 3 goals at the Etihad and be on the losing side but that was Leicester who were involved in a Boxing Day classic when they faced off against Manchester City.
Leicester were losing 4-0 at half time but somehow had not played badly enough to reflect that score line. In the second half Leicester mounted an incredible comeback and got the score back to 4-3, then it was 5-3 and soon after the Foxes almost made it 5-4, but it wasn’t to be as City powered home to win 6-3. The Foxes had conceded six goals, but no one was really talking about a slaughter and they had actually played a good game against the champions.
The game may have felt like an heroic battle but of course it was still a loss and Leicester come into this game in 10th place. That still seems odd to think of Leicester so low down given how well the club have performed in the last few seasons and for them they are a good 13 points behind where they need to be. Consistency has been the problem for Brendan Rodgers side and they have earned seven points from their last 15 on offer. At home the Foxes have managed to win 50% of their games about 10% down on where they need to be but they have also lost 3 from 8 games. The good news is that the club have won their last two at home and have scored 4 goals in each of those. Though the opposition was Newcastle and Watford who are of course having poor seasons you still need to beat those teams and with the way the Premier League can surprise those games could have ended in defeats. Leicester have patchy form but at least they are scoring goals and have netted 14 times in their last 5 games.
Liverpool are in 2nd place but have lost ground on Manchester City- though that is where the panic ends for the Reds given that their latest game which was against Leeds was called off. It means that the gap stands at 6 points to City but Liverpool have played a game less. The Reds did drop points in their last game, which was just before the Christmas period as they drew 2-2 away to Tottenham. Apart from that draw Liverpool have looked incredibly strong though. Any dropped points in this game could let in 3rd placed Chelsea however who has the same points as Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Away form has been strong from Liverpool with just 1 defeat from 9 games. With 28 goals averaging 3 a game the Reds have scored the most on the road. Liverpool have the 3rd best away record but that would be the 1st if they were to win this game.
Team News:
Leicester: Harvey Barnes has a knock and will be assessed. Ryan Bertrand has a knee injury and is only 50/50 to make this game. Jonny Evans is also a doubt with his hamstring, though could face an assessment. Danny Ward has a knock and likely won’t make the team. Caglar Soyuncu has a hamstring injury and won’t return for another three weeks at least. Ricardo Pereira is out until February with a leg injury. Wesley Fofana has a long term leg injury but is being pencilled in for February. Justin James has recovered from injury but has a lack of match fitness.
Liverpool: Fabinho is recovering from Covid-19 and is unlikely to feature. Adrian is still sidelined with a calf injury. Curtis Jones will be assessed after he has had Covid-19. Andrew Robertson is serving his suspension after his red card v Tottenham. Divock Origi has a slight chance to return after his knee injury but remains a doubt. Thiago Alcantara and Virgil van Dijk remain doubts after they both contracted Covid-19.
Leicester vs Liverpool Head to Head:
Last season Leicester won this fixture 3-1, that was Leicester’s only victory over Liverpool in the last nine meetings.
The last five meetings in a row have all seen over 2.5 goals.
There hasn’t been a 0-0 between the teams since 2004.
Leicester vs Liverpool Prediction:
This reminds us of Leicester’s game with Manchester City and going into that one we predicted that we would see goals, we got 9 of them! We may not see that in this game, but Leicester are not afraid of teams even when they come in the size of Liverpool and the Foxes will give it a real go.
Liverpool boast so many qualities and it has got to the point now, like Manchester City when these teams are rarely outplayed and they will lose games simply by having an off day. This is a very important game from a psychological stand point for Liverpool. Forget having the game in hand, lose this and there is a six point difference and City will feel they can push on from that. Liverpool need to keep on winning and they will feel that Leicester’s defence is leaky enough to allow them a few goals.
We expect to see an end to end game and also a more aggressive stance from the home side who will be determined not to concede like they did this past weekend. It is a game that should have a lot of pace about it and spaces, and we do expect an entertaining match with goals.
Two choices that we would have gone for just seem a tad too short. They are the Liverpool win being quoted at 1.30 for an away side and Mohamed Salah to score anytime at 1.57. So it might be worth looking into different markets for added value. Sadio Mane is a quality player who has been quiet lately and he is worth backing to score in this game.
Leicester vs Liverpool Betting Tips:
Anytime goalscorer: Sadio Mane at 2.10
Anytime goalscorer: Jamie Vardy at 2.75
Both teams to score at 1.62
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