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Leicester logo
Premier League | Gameweek 20
Dec 28, 2021 at 8pm UK
King Power Stadium
Liverpool logo

Leicester
1 - 0
Liverpool

Lookman (59')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Matip (4')

Preview: Leicester City vs. Liverpool - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Tuesday's Premier League clash between Leicester City and Liverpool, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Just six days after locking horns in an EFL Cup classic, Leicester City and Liverpool quickly renew hostilities at the King Power in Tuesday's Premier League contest.

The Reds triumphed on penalties in the meeting at Anfield on December 22, with former manager Brendan Rodgers witnessing his side throw away a 3-1 lead on Merseyside.


Match preview

 Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers reacts, December 12, 2021© Reuters

For a short while, Newcastle United vs. Arsenal 2.0 appeared to be unfolding before supporters' eyes at the Etihad Stadium, as Leicester came back from 4-0 down to make it 4-3 against Manchester City on Boxing Day.

Former Man City man Kelechi Iheanacho had struck the seventh goal of the game in the 65th minute at the home of the champions, but Aymeric Laporte soon responded before a late Raheem Sterling strike ended any hopes of an astonishing Leicester comeback on Sunday.

That 6-3 defeat at the Etihad leaves the Foxes 10th in the table after Brighton & Hove Albion's late-night win over Brentford, and they have no time to dwell on the manner of that defeat before they lock horns with Liverpool after a 48-hour recovery period.

Defeat to the reigning Premier League champions marked Leicester's fourth loss from six games in all competitions, but all of those defeats have come on the road, with Brendan Rodgers's men producing the goods at home on a consistent basis recently.

Indeed, the Foxes have won their last three at the King Power - scoring at least three goals on each occasion - but a record of just one clean sheet from their last 16 top-flight games does not bode well against Jurgen Klopp's rampant attacking crop.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp reacts on December 19, 2021© Reuters

After another unsurprising post-match rant from Klopp over the hectic winter schedule - with Jordan Henderson also weighing in with concerns over player welfare - Liverpool were granted a festive rest when their proposed Boxing Day clash with Leeds United was postponed.

A raft of injuries and COVID-19 cases in the Whites' camp meant that the game could not go ahead as scheduled, with Liverpool now enjoying the rare luxury of a six-day break in the month of December as they endeavour to sustain their title charge.

However, the Reds' 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on December 19 ended their six-game winning run in the Premier League and eight-game winning streak across all competitions, with those two dropped points seeing them enter the week still second in the Premier League table - level with Chelsea having played a game fewer.

Having scored at least two goals in 11 of their last 12 Premier League games away from home, Liverpool would do well to keep that goal-laden run going at the King Power, especially with two of their most potent attackers about to jet off to the Africa Cup of Nations.

Leicester did manage to claim a 3-1 win against Liverpool on their own turf back in February, though - three months after Klopp's side had eased to a 3-0 Anfield victory in the top flight.

Leicester City Premier League form:
  • L
  • W
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • L

Leicester City form (all competitions):
  • D
  • L
  • L
  • W
  • L
  • L

Liverpool Premier League form:
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • D

Liverpool form (all competitions):
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • D
  • W



Team News

Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk celebrates scoring their fourth goal against Southampton in the Premier League on November 27, 2021© Reuters

Leicester did not pick up any fresh fitness concerns in the Etihad romping, but Rodgers still has plenty of absences to work around, including Wesley Fofana, James Justin, Jonny Evans and Ricardo Pereira - who went off in the EFL Cup loss to Liverpool following a heavy tackle by Tyler Morton.

Caglar Soyuncu and Patson Daka are also expected to remain out with thigh problems for the time being, while Harvey Barnes and Ryan Bertrand are also in the treatment room at the worst time possible.

Rodgers still has several options for rotation, though, as Wilfred Ndidi, Boubakary Soumare and Jamie Vardy prepare to return to the first XI amid the unrelenting schedule.

As for Liverpool, Harvey Elliott, Adrian, Nat Phillips and Divock Origi continue their recoveries from respective injury problems, while Andy Robertson is still suspended and will miss this game plus the fixture with Chelsea in the New Year.

On a brighter note, Virgil van Dijk, Curtis Jones, Thiago Alcantara and Fabinho are all back in training after recovering from COVID-19, although Thiago has not had as many minutes on the practice pitches.

The Reds are also expected to keep hold of AFCON trio Naby Keita, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane for a little while longer, with the former potentially starting in midfield if Thiago is not ready to return to the first XI.

Leicester City possible starting lineup:
Schmeichel; Daley-Campbell, Amartey, Vestergaard, Castagne; Ndidi, Tielemans, Soumare; Perez, Vardy, Maswanhise

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Henderson, Fabinho, Keita; Salah, Jota, Mane


SM words green background

We say: Leicester City 0-3 Liverpool

This has all the ingredients of a drubbing. A fatigued and injury-hit Leicester side on a sticky spell of form facing a refreshed and near-full strength Liverpool outfit.

The Foxes performed valiantly in the second half against Man City, but the tired legs will surely be picked off by Klopp's men as Rodgers prepares for another day to forget against his old club.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 2.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 2.5:data



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Written by
Ben Knapton

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Liverpool win with a probability of 55.78%. A win for Leicester City had a probability of 23.2% and a draw had a probability of 21%.

The most likely scoreline for a Liverpool win was 1-2 with a probability of 9.61%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (7.48%) and 0-1 (7.18%). The likeliest Leicester City win was 2-1 (5.92%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (9.22%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 4.4% likelihood.


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Game History

How you voted: Leicester vs Liverpool

Leicester City
12.6%
Draw
9.6%
Liverpool
77.8%
365
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Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring for Liverpool in December 2021
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How Liverpool could line up without Salah, Mane, Keita during AFCON
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool15113131131836
2Chelsea16104237191834
3Arsenal1796234161833
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest179442319431
5Aston Villa178452626028
6Manchester CityMan City178362925427
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle177552721626
8Bournemouth167452421325
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton176742726125
10Fulham166642422224
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1672736191723
12Brentford177283232023
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd166462119222
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham175572230-820
15Crystal Palace173771826-816
16Everton153661421-715
17Leicester CityLeicester163582134-1314
18Ipswich TownIpswich172691632-1612
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1623112440-169
20Southampton1612131136-255


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