Liverpool will inaugurate a new-look Anfield when they host champions Leicester City in their first home game of the 2016-17 Premier League season on Saturday. Both sides have endured mixed fortunes in their opening three games of the season and will want to get some momentum going following the international break.
After an entire summer of renovation, Anfield finally opens it’s doors to competitive football once more as Liverpool prepare to host Champions Leicester City in their first home game of the Premier League season. The Reds will hope to mark a special occasion by scalping all three points against Claudio Ranieri’s Foxes and enter into the top half of the table as they currently sit 11th.
The expansion of the Main Stand has seen Anfield’s capacity improve by almost 8000 and close to 54,000 fans are expected to be in full voice when the two teams make their way onto the pitch on Saturday. Jurgen Klopp has claimed that the additional support is a massive boost to his players on the pitch and that his side will have to make full use of it.
Team News and Tactics
Liverpool FC
Consistency is the order of the day for Liverpool if they are to challenge for anything of semblance this season. Jurgen Klopp’s side have established anything but consistency drifting from a blitzkrieg of a performance against Arsenal to the shocker at Turf Moor against Burnley, before staging yet another impressive performance to snap up a draw against Tottenham at White Hart Lane.
Emre Can suffered an injury towards the end of the game at White Hart Lane and opted out of training at Melwood on Thursday and is hence not expected to make the team sheet on Saturday. Ragnar Klavan endured a knee injury during the international break and is not expected to make the squad. Sheyi Ojo is yet to recover from his back problem and his hence out of the reckoning too.
With the absence of Emre Can, Liverpool have little choice but to go for much-maligned captain Jordan Henderson in the defensive midfield position. After an impressive start to his Reds career at the Emirates, Wijnaldum hasn’t quite been up to the mark in the subsequent weeks and is expected to do a lot more than he did on his outings at Turf Moor and White Hart Lane, if his run with the first-team is to continue.
The centre-back pairing of Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren were relatively stable against the Spurs and Klopp is expected to stick with them for the visit of the Foxes. Loris Karius has returned from his hand injury, however Simon Mignolet is expected to keep his place in goal the latter needs more training under his belt before he dons the gloves again.
Sadio Mane allayed fears surrounding his injury suffered with Senegal during the international break and having featured in his quota of training sessions, the 24-year-old is expected to start for Liverpool on Saturday. The Reds will need speed, trickery and creativity to unlock Leicester’s defence and keeping those in mind Klopp will be expected to start with Daniel Sturridge at the top with Philippe Coutinho stationed in the flanks along with Mane.
Possible Starting XI :(4-3-3) : Mignolet (GK), Clyne, Lovren, Matip, Milner, Lallana, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Mane, Coutinho, Sturridge
Leicester City
Claudio Ranieri’s team have endured a mixed start to their title defence having recovered from their opening day loss at Hull City by following it up with a draw against Arsenal and a victory over Swansea. The Foxes will be keen to upstage the Reds on their day of days to come away with three crucial points as they bid to work their way up the table.
Supposed replacement to Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante, summer recruit Nampalys Mendy is still unavailable due to injury and so is Jeff Schlupp. Kasper Schmeichel underwent a minor hernia operation recently but is in good shape to take his place between the sticks. Islam Slimani, a £28 million record deadline-day transfer for Leicester City, could be handed his debut against Liverpool on Saturday despite having yet to train with his new team-mates.
Jamie Vardy will be expected to partner Slimani at the fore-front of the Foxes attack with Riyad Mahrez and Ahmed Musa, instead of Marc Albrighton, taking their places on the flanks. Danny Drinkwater and Daniel Amartey could line-up in centre-midfield for Leicester in their preferred 4-4-2 formation.
There won’t be too many surprises in the back four either with the usual suspects in Christian Fuchs, Wes Morgan, Robert Huth and Danny Simpson taking charge of hauling of attacking threats from the Liverpool front-line.
Possible Starting XI : (4-4-2) Schmeichel (GK), Simpson, Huth, Morgan, Fuchs, Mahrez, Drinkwater, Amartey, Musa, Vardy, Slimani
Key Stats
- Liverpool were one of just two teams to beat Leicester in the Premier League last season (along with Arsenal), winning 1-0 at Anfield on 26 December.
- Leicester have only earned one point from their last five visits to Anfield since a 2-0 victory there in May 2000.
- However, the Foxes beat Liverpool for the first time in eight attempts when the sides last met. Jamie Vardy scored both goals in a 2-0 league win at the King Power Stadium on 2 February.
- The Reds are on a 12-match unbeaten run at Anfield in all competitions (W8, D4).
- The Foxes have collected 46 points in 2016, more than any other Premier League side (W13, D7, L2).
Players to watch out for
Liverpool FC : Adam Lallana
Fresh from handing England three crucial points in their 2018 World Cup Qualification game against Slovakia last week, Lallana will be fired up to replicate his good run at club level as well.
The 28-year-old has shown a good work ethic for the Reds but has lacked a cutting edge in front of goal and Klopp will hope the England international can deliver the goods on Saturday.
Leicester City : Riyad Mahrez
The Algerian has been Leicester’s stand-out player this season carrying forward from where he left off last season. With fellow countryman Islam Slimani expected to make his debut for the Foxes up front, Mahrez will be key to the forward’s success on the night and has enough in his locker to trouble a shaky Reds defence.
Betting tips
We love the cards market as it is often overpriced and under-rated and the same seems to be the case in this match. The two teams are known to be fiery and their season average thus far comes to 5 cards which puts the over 3.5 cards @ 1.66 as under-priced in our eyes.
We believe this match could well be another making of a game akin to the 4-3 game Liverpool played out against Arsenal and this match could well serve as the game which could re-ignite the fire and hunger in the Foxes which has been found missing thus far.
Islam Slimani is in line to make his Foxes debut and could be on the scoresheet on Saturday as he is known to be prolific and could prove to be an able partner to Vardy up-front.
Standard Bets :
1. over 3.5 cards @ 1.66
2. Liverpool Clean Sheet – No @ 1.50
3. Over 2.5 Match Goals @ 1.75
Underdog Bets :
1. Jamie Vardy to score anytime @ 3.60
2. Islam Slimani to score anytime @ 3.60
3. Leicester Draw No Bet @3.75
Prediction
Liverpool 3-1 Leicester City
Since Klopp has taken charge of the Reds, Liverpool have always been a side that have reserved their best for the big games and little of that seems to have changed through the course of the summer as evidenced by their early season form.
The Reds posted a couple of impressive performances against the two North-London giants while struggling to come away with the goods against newly promoted Burnley. Hence TheHardTackle believe it could be one of those days where things all fall into place for Klopp’s side.
