Liverpool travel to Leicester this weekend, looking to continue their excellent start to the season. Jurgen Klopp’s side are one of just four teams, along with Watford, Chelsea and Spurs, to have won their first three matches of the season. Hosts Leicester, meanwhile, have won two of their three games, and were unfortunate in their opener against Manchester United.
Klopp has suggested that he’ll rotate his team for Saturday’s match, having picked the same starting eleven for the first three games. However, he’ll be keen not to cause too much disruption, meaning that the defence and midfield is more likely to be rotated than the powerful attacking trio of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, who’ve all started the season in magnificent form.
As for Leicester, this game marks the first since Jamie Vardy announced his international retirement in midweek. Vardy will now be focussed solely on club duty, which should be of great benefit to the Foxes. Claude Puel’s future was hotly debated prior to the start of the season and pressure intensified after defeat to United in their opening game. But with two wins in the Premier League since, and a 4-0 victory to Fleetwood in the Carabao Cup, he looks set to have diverted some pressure away from him for now.
Leicester vs. Liverpool Predictions
Liverpool have been rampant this season, while Leicester have been quietly effective. Like the Crystal Palace game, this is one that the Reds need to win if they’re to be credible title challengers. It’ll be a tough game and I don’t see them winning by a huge margin, but I think they’re good enough to get the job done.
Leicester vs. Liverpool Betting Tips
Head to Head
- Liverpool have won three of their last four home meetings with Liverpool in all competitions, although they lost this fixture 3-2 last season.
- Liverpool are looking to win their opening four matches of a Premier League season for the first time. They last opened a top-flight campaign with four wins back in 1990/91 under Kenny Dalglish.
- Alisson could become the fourth goalkeeper in PL history to keep a clean sheet in his first four starts, after Alex Manninger (first six), Anders Lindegaard (first five) and Jose Reina (first four).
- Half of the six goals scored in the 90th minute onwards this season have come from Leicester or Liverpool, with two and one respectively. These sides are also responsible for 12 of the 37 goals scored in or after the 90th minute during 2018. Leicester have eight, Liverpool have four.
Leicester Team News
Jamie Vardy is serving the second of his three-match suspension, after being shown a red card against Wolves. Kelechi Iheanacho started in his place against Southampton last week. Caglar Soyuncu is still to make a first team appearance after his arrival from Freiburg this summer, with manager Claude Puel suggesting that he might play in the reserves before making his bow.
Possible Leicester XI: Kasper Schmeichel, Daniel Amartey, Wes Morgan, Harry Maguire, Ben Chilwell, Nampalys Mendy, Wilfried Ndidi, Pereira, James Maddison, Demerai Gray, Kelechi Iheanacho
Liverpool Team News
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Rhian Brewster are long-term absentees, while Jurgen Klopp is still without Dejan Lovren, who’s only just returned to training after coming back to Melwood at the start of pre-season with a stomach problem. Klopp has hinted that there could be some rotation, having picked the same side for the first three games of the season. This might mean that new signing Fabinho will make his first start for the club.
Possible Liverpool XI: Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil Van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Andrew Robertson, Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner, Naby Keita, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane
@dominictrant