Liverpool will look to build on their 3-1 win over Aston Villa when they host Leicester City in the Premier League on Friday night.
Liverpool were quite impressive against Aston Villa at Villa Park, and the home fans will be expecting a similar performance against Leicester City now. The Reds are sixth in the Premier League table and cannot afford to drop points in these games if they want to secure UEFA Champions League qualification for next season.
Meanwhile, Leicester City have been mediocre this season and are 13th in the standings. The Foxes are coming into this game on the back of a 3-0 defeat to Newcastle United at home. They will be desperate to make amends here.
Liverpool are currently five points adrift of the top four, and a home win here would give a confidence boost and help them close in on the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.
As for Leicester, they will look to bounce back from the defeat to Newcastle. And Brendan Rodgers will be hoping to pull off an upset against his former club. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Next up, our final match of 2022 💪 🔴 pic.twitter.com/z9ATYKKo9V
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 28, 2022
Team News & Tactics
Liverpool
Liverpool will be without the services of Arthur Melo, Luis Diaz, and Diogo Jota. All three players are long-term injury absentees, and they are set to miss out against the Foxes. Roberto Firmino is still sidelined with a knock.
Liverpool have been boosted by the return of Ibrahima Konate, but the Frenchman might be on the bench here. Jurgen Klopp should look to ease him back into the side after his World Cup exertions. Meanwhile, Cody Gakpo, who will officially join the Reds from PSV Eindhoven in January, must wait a few more days to take the field for his new club.
Jurgen Klopp is expected to field an unchanged lineup here, with Alisson Becker in goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson were outstanding against Aston Villa. And the duo will start as the full-backs. Both players will look to add that extra bit of creativity from the wide areas.
At the heart of the Liverpool defence, Joel Matip will continue to partner with Virgil van Dijk. Both players were exceptional against Villa when the home side continued to pile on the pressure in the second half.
Thiago Alcantara will start alongside Fabinho and Jordan Henderson in the midfield three. Henderson looked fresh and full of energy against Villa and will be the box-to-box midfielder here. Thiago will look to control the tempo of the game and break the lines with his passing. Meanwhile, Fabinho will look to break up the Leicester play.
As for the offensive unit, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will continue on the left flank. Darwin Nunez should start centrally after a lively display at Villa Park. Finally, Mohamed Salah will continue on the right wing.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Nunez, Oxlade-Chamberlain
Leicester City
James Justin, James Maddison, Ryan Bertrand, and Ricardo Pereira are on the sidelines for Leicester City. Dennis Praet picked up an injury against Newcastle United and is set to miss out as well.
Brendan Rodgers is expected to set his side up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, and the Foxes will look to hit the home side on the break. Danny Ward will start in goal against his former club. In the back four, Timothy Castagne and Luke Thomas will line up as the full-backs. Daniel Amartey will partner with Wout Faes at the heart of the Leicester defence.
Wilfred Ndidi and Youri Tielemans will start as the midfield pivot. While Ndidi will look to break up the play, the Belgian international will look to set up counters with his accurate long-range passing.
Ayoze Perez and Kelechi Iheanacho are set to start in the wide areas, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall reprising the number ten role. Finally, Jamie Vardy will spearhead the Leicester City attack against Liverpool on Friday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ward; Castagne, Amartey, Faes, Thomas; Ndidi, Tielemans; Perez, Dewsbury-Hall, Iheanacho; Vardy
Key Stats
- Liverpool are undefeated in their last 12 home matches against Leicester in all competitions.
- Liverpool have won their last three matches in the Premier League.
- Liverpool have scored at least two goals in six of their last seven home matches against Leicester City in all competitions.
- Liverpool have scored at least two goals in their last three matches in the Premier League.
- Leicester City have conceded 28 goals in 16 Premier League matches.
Player to Watch
Darwin Nunez
The Uruguayan international failed to score against Aston Villa, but he was an agent of chaos for Liverpool. Nunez was almost unplayable at times, and he created a number of opportunities for his team with his pace, power, and movement.
Leicester City have a poor defensive record in the Premier League this season, and they could really struggle against Nunez’s pace, physicality, and directness. The 23-year-old will be desperate to get on the scoresheet here, and he is our man to watch out for.
Darwin Nunez was one of the main reasons Liverpool won tonight. His finishing was below par today, but it shouldn't be generalized.
He currently averages:
0.88 Goals per 90
6.5 Shots per 90
0.96 xG per 90
0.15 xG per shot pic.twitter.com/QihGWYh0v1— Pranav (@pranav_m28) December 26, 2022
Prediction
Liverpool 2-0 Leicester City
Liverpool will be the favourites heading into this game, and the win over Aston Villa will have given them a confidence boost. Most of their players seemed fresh and spirited in the last game, and they will be determined to get a winning run going. Finishing in the top four is imperative for a club of their stature.
Meanwhile, Leicester City have been inconsistent, and they were comfortably beaten at home last time out. They are well out of their depth here, and The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for Jurgen Klopp & co. on Friday.
