Leicester vs. Liverpool: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info, Ticket News
Liverpool's relentless run of fixtures continues with yet another midweek game, this time at table-topping Leicester City.
Jurgen Klopp's side have been in League Cup and FA Cup action in the last week, scraping past Stoke City on penalties in the League Cup semi-final and playing out a goalless draw at home to West Ham United in the FA Cup fourth round.
Klopp fielded a much-changed lineup against the Hammers, meaning he can recall his first-team players for this match, while Claudio Ranieri's side will be similarly refreshed having been knocked out of the FA Cup in the third-round replay against Tottenham Hotspur, meaning they haven't played for over a week.
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This match last season saw Liverpool arriving at the King Power Stadium to face the side bottom of the Premier League table. Fourteen months on, the hosts sit three points clear at the top of the table.
Liverpool won that game 3-1, courtesy of goals from Adam Lallana, Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson, while they also picked up three points in the corresponding fixture at Anfield just over a month ago—Christian Benteke the only scorer as the Reds became the first team to record a clean sheet against Ranieri's side this season.
Three points for Liverpool in this fixture would see them improve their chances of pushing for a top-four finish, something Klopp says will be shaped by the next three league games—with strugglers Sunderland and Aston Villa up next.
“We have an away game at Leicester and these three games will give a little sign as to where we can go in this season," he said at his pre-match press conference, per the Press Association (via This Is Anfield). “Even after these games it is not over. I think we have showed a row of more than okay performances so you can say we have a little bit more consistency even when we have made a lot of changes."
A win for Leicester would keep them top of the table, while defeat could see Arsenal and/or Manchester City leapfrog the Foxes.
Date: Tuesday, 2 February, 2016
Time: 7.45 p.m. GMT / 2.45 p.m. ET
Venue: King Power Stadium, Leicester
TV Info: NBCSN (U.S.)
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.)
Form Lines
Both sides are in somewhat inconsistent form of late, and Leicester's three recent results against Tottenham—a draw, a defeat and a victory—underline this.
Liverpool are competing on four fronts and failing to find any sort of consistency despite Klopp making big changes for cup matches.
Leicester
Won 3-0 vs. Stoke City
Lost 2-0 vs. Tottenham (FA Cup)
Drew 1-1 vs. Aston Villa
Won vs. Tottenham
Drew 2-2 vs. Tottenham (FA Cup)
Liverpool
Drew 0-0 vs. West Ham United (FA Cup)
Lost 1-0 vs. Stoke City (League Cup)
Won 5-4 vs. Norwich City
Won 3-0 vs. Exeter City (FA Cup)
Lost 1-0 vs. Manchester United
Team News
Ranieri has a full-strength squad to choose from. Forward Shinji Okazaki has recovered from injury and will compete with Leonardo Ulloa for the right to play alongside Jamie Vardy.
Klopp's injury problems are easing and captain Jordan Henderson should be available despite his ongoing heel problems. He limped off against Stoke last week but missed the FA Cup tie with West Ham.
Philippe Coutinho, Martin Skrtel, Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi remain sidelined, but are all scheduled to return to full training later this week.
Klopp's big decision is over whether to start Roberto Firmino or Benteke up front. The Brazilian is likely to get the nod, with Benteke again looking wholly unsuited against West Ham.
Predicted Lineups
Leicester: Schmeichel, Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs, Mahrez, Kante, Drinkwater, Albrighton, Okazaki, Vardy.
Liverpool: Mignolet, Clyne, Lovren, Sakho, Moreno, Can, Henderson, Allen, Lallana, Milner, Firmino.
Players to Watch
Leicester: Riyad Mahrez
In the fixture between these sides at Anfield on Boxing Day, key men Vardy and Mahrez were withdrawn despite the Foxes needing a goal. Both were subdued, and containing the latter in particular will be key if Liverpool want a similar result.
Up against Alberto Moreno, Mahrez will be eager to add to his impressive 13 goals and eight assists so far this season.
Liverpool: Jordan Henderson
After missing much of the campaign through injury, Henderson's return has seen him struggling to gain full fitness, and he's been subbed in his last two starts—looking particularly off the pace a week ago against West Ham.
If Liverpool are to gain consistency, they need their captain to find fitness and form. Henderson scored in this fixture last season, and his goals and assists from open play have been missed this season for the Reds.
Key Battle: Wide Areas
According to WhoScored.com, one of Liverpool's strengths is attacking down the wings—which seems odd given their lack of wingers in the squad, but the stats perhaps show the attacking qualities of full-backs Nathaniel Clyne and Moreno.
Conversely, though, defending against attacks down the wings is a weakness for Klopp's side. Potentially due to the aforementioned full-backs being caught high up the pitch and teams profiting on the counter-attack, which is a strength of Leicester's.
Liverpool's full-backs will need to be quick to recover, and they will need help from their central midfielders to stop the likes of Mahrez, Marc Albrighton and Demarai Gray to profit out wide.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
Leicester: 19-10
Liverpool: 69-50
Draw: 23-10
Ticket Information
For ticket information on all Premier League games visit the official site or go to the ticket page on the Leicester City website.
