vs
LIVERPOOL
Tuesday; December 2 2014; 19:45 GMT
King Power Stadium, Leicester
******
Liverpool avoided taking their losing streak to 4 games in a row thanks to a late winner against Stoke City. They travel to the King Power Stadium to meet Leicester City, who have not won in the Premier League since defeating Manchester United in September.Can the Reds grab 3 points again, or will the Foxes snap their losing streak?
Team News and Tactical Brief
Leicester City
The Foxes have alarmingly lost their way after a promising start. A 2-2 draw with Everton and a 5-3 defeat of Manchester United in August/September made it seem like Leicester would carry on from where they had previously left off in the Championship and ensure safety without getting into a drawn out relegation battle.Ai??Fortunes have turned south since that famous win over Manchester United, with Leicester City currently lying at the bottom of the Premier League. Argentine striker Leonardo Ulloa was meant to be their main goalscorer, but ever since the goals dried up in September, they have been hard to come by for the Foxes.
Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson continues to state that his team has the confidence required to tackle the task of surviving in the Premier League. Ulloa was absent in Leicester City’s last outing at QPR, but is likely to be reinstated into the starting lineup against Liverpool, esp given the problems Martin Skrtel and Dejan Lovren have faced with big, burly strikers. Former Liverpool left back Paul Konchesky will face his former side, while Esteban Cambiasso will be expected to anchor the midfield as usual. Leicester City will need some help from goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel if they are to get anything out of this fixture.
Probable Starting Lineup:Ai??Schmeichel (GK); De Laet, Morgan, Wasilewski, Konchesky; Drinkwater, Cambiasso, Albrighton; Schlupp, Ulloa, Vardy
Liverpool
Liverpool enter this fixture having come off the back of a first Premier League since defeating Queens Park Rangers in October. As things stand, they have lost 6 games out of 13 played in the Premier League this season – more than the total number of games lost in 2013-14 season combined. There is now no more room to drop points.
Brendan Rodgers had acknowledged that he was unaware of the 16th anniversary of Steven Gerrard’s debut in top flight football taking place this past Saturday. Since it now public knowledge that Rodgers would have included Gerrard in his starting lineup against Stoke City otherwise, it will be interesting to note if Gerrard is placed in the starting lineup. Rodgers may also contemplate rotating his fullbacks again, and may decide to bring in Spanish fullback Javier Manquillo back into the squad. On the other hand, Liverpool supporters will be hoping to find central defence and defensive midfield unchanged from the previous fixture against Stoke City.
Probable Starting Lineup: Mignolet (GK); Manquillo, Skrtel, Toure, Johnson; Lucas, Gerrard, Henderson, Lallana, Sterling, Lambert
Key Facts
- Leicester City have won only 2 games in the Premier League in 2014-15. They have not won since defeating Manchester United 5-3 in September.
- Liverpool have gone 3 games without a win on 2 seperate occasions this season.
- Leicester City and Liverpool drew 0-0 in March 2004, the last time these two teams met in the Premier League.
Player to watch out for
Rickie Lambert (Liverpool)
Thanks to injury to both Daniel Sturridge and Mario Balotelli, Rickie Lambert is now left to shoulder the burden of scoring goals for the club that he supported as a child. He has done well since he came back to the starting lineup after the last international break – scoring 2 goals in 2 games, then setting up Liverpool’s late winner over Stoke City with a fantastic header. Lambert compensates for lack of pace through goal scoring ability backed by his record in all divisions leading up to the Premier League. All top sides in the league have at least 1 centre forward firing on all cylinders; hence it would be crucial for Lambert to score a few more goals during the upcoming festive period.
Prediction
Leicester City 1-2 Liverpool
Ai??
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