Prediction: Leicester City vs Liverpool

Verdict: Away win

Best odds: 11/10

Bookmaker: 888sport

We’re well in the second half of the 2020-21 season in the Premier League, and at the moment, Manchester City are far ahead in the title race with five points and a game in hand on city rivals United in second place. This match between Leicester City and Liverpool, set to be played at the King Power Stadium on Saturday lunchtime, could go a long way in deciding the race.

Leicester City

It will, of course be another reunion between Brendan Rodgers and the club where he led the team for three years, between 2012 and 2015. So far, he hasn’t been very successful in those encounters, losing all three. He will be hoping Liverpool’s poor recent form will help him break that run.

Speaking of form, Leicester won three of their last six Premier League games, all by the same scoreline. It was 2-0 at home against Southampton and Chelsea, and 0-2 away against Fulham. They drew 1-1 away to Everton and 0-0 away to Wolverhampton Wanderers, and they lost at home to Leeds United by 1-3.

At the moment, the Foxes sit in third place with 43 points, seven off leaders Manchester City and two off United, and three over Liverpool in fourth. Last time around they narrowly missed out on top-four placement, but this time it seems quite feasible that we watch Leicester City play in the Champions League next term.

As has been said above, Leicester narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification, so they had to settle for playing in the Europa League this term. They won Group G, finishing ahead of Braga, Zorya Luhansk and AEK Athens, and they will now face Slavia Prague in the round of 32, with the first leg being played next week on Thursday in Prague.

Team News

Leicester’s star striker, 34-year-old Jamie Vardy, recently had surgery on his groin but after missing three league games because of it, he played around 30 minutes at the Molineux and just over an hour in the fifth round of the FA Cup against Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday, and he should be available to face Liverpool. Rodgers will certainly be pleased about that – Vardy has so far scored 11 goals in 19 league appearances this term.

Liverpool

This year has so far been little short of a disaster for the defending champions. Their chances of retaining the title they so deservedly won last season are all but gone, with 10 points between them and Manchester City at the top, with Guardiola’s team having a game in hand as well. If Liverpool lose this one and City beat Tottenham Hotspur a bit later on the same day, the hope will be gone from the minds of even the most optimistic, die-hard supporters.

Of course, it’s been an incredibly difficult season for Jurgen Klopp and his team, injury-wise. They’ve been left without the three centre-backs they had in their ranks at the start of term – Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez (both knee) and Joel Matip (ankle ligaments), and none of them are likely to play again before the campaign is over. The result – Klopp moved midfielder Fabinho into the hear of defence, and while he hasn’t done too badly, the lack of the uncompromising Brazilian in the middle of the park has been rather notable. The same goes for captain Jordan Henderson, who also stepped into the centre-back role on several occasions. Meanwhile, midfielder Naby Keita has also been missing for a large chunk of the season, as has forward Diogo Jota who had just hit the ground running after arriving from Wolves last summer, only to pick up a knee problem of his own. The same goes for former Bayern Munich star Thiago Alcantara. Goalkeeper Alisson Becker, right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, forwards Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, also occasionally missed a game or two, while midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is still trying to find his feet after a long-term injury kept him out for months.

As strange as it sounds, Liverpool actually lost three of their last six games in the league, all at home, and all after going 68 matches at Anfield without losing even once. Burnley, Brighton and Hove Albion (both 0-1) and Manchester City (1-4) all took the points home from Liverpool’s historic stadium. A 0-0 draw against arch-rivals Manchester United also took place at Anfield, and the only wins from that period for the Reds happened in London, against West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur (both 1-3).

On top of it all, Klopp lost his mother a few days ago. Obviously devastated, he wasn’t able to go to the funeral or join the rest of his family due to Germany’s pandemic-related travel restrictions.

The easing of the crisis is on the horizon though. Liverpool signed centre-backs Ben Davies from Preston North End and Ozan Kabak on loan from Schalke 04 on the last day of the winter transfer window, and Jota should be back in contention in about two weeks.

In the Champions League, Liverpool finished top of Group D ahead of Atalanta, Ajax and Midtjylland. They will face RB Leipzig in the round of 16, with the first leg being played on February 16th in Budapest, due to the already mentioned restrictions imposed by Germany.

Team News

Van Dijk, Gomez, Matip, Keita and Jota are all out, as is Fabinho for this game, Klopp has confirmed. The manager will still probably want Henderson at centre-back. Kabak and Davies are both now available, alongside 23-year-old Nathaniel Phillips and 19-year-old Rhys Williams, and it remains to be seen who gets picked to play alongside the captain. Thiago and Georginio Wijnaldum are set to start in midfield, with either James Milner or Curtis Jones.

In the absence of Jota, Klopp has very little choice but to play his usual front three of Mane, Salah and Roberto Firmino, though he could decide to give another chance to Xherdan Shaqiri or Divock Origi.

Conclusion

As you might expect, it all comes down to Liverpool. If they have a good day, they’re likely to cut through Leicester like a sharp blade. If not, it’ll likely end in another frustrations for the champions and victory for the home team. So which will it be?

Klopp’s personal tragedy could act as a detriment to his team’s efforts, but given what we’ve seen from these players over the last few seasons, it’s more likely that they give 110% percent on Saturday and come out on top.

Verdict: Away win

Best odds: 11/10

Bookmaker: 888sport