Who will defy the adverse conditions?
The island is currently in a state of emergency. Due to numerous new infections, there has been an increase in match cancellations and postponements. On the last Premier League match day, for example, only half of all scheduled matches could actually take place. Many clubs are struggling with enormous personnel problems, which make it all the more difficult to place suitable and well-founded bets in the current phase of the season.
Despite all the eventualities, we still venture into the quarter-finals of the English League Cup and look at Liverpool v Leicester below. According to the odds, the Reds have by far the better chance of reaching the semi-finals, although LFC coach Jürgen Klopp will certainly start the rotation machine again in view of the tight programme until New Year’s Day.
But because the surprise champions of 2016 will also be without numerous players due to infections and the entire team has hardly been able to hold a regular training session for almost two weeks now, it would be absolutely understandable if the prediction of a home win pays off in the clash between Liverpool and Leicester. By the way: Already on 28 December, these two clubs will face each other in the Premier League, but then at the King Power Stadium in Leicester.
Liverpool – Statistics & current form
It was almost exactly two years ago when Jürgen Klopp deliberately, or rather out of necessity, called off the quarter-finals of the English Carabao Cup. Because the professional squad of the then Champions League winners was on its way to the Club World Cup shortly before Christmas and the match for entry into the final round of the League Cup fell during this period of all times, the club’s own U23s took on Aston Villa and lost 5-0 as expected.
The situation is not quite as dramatic next Wednesday, but it can be assumed that the German coach of the Reds will once again send a new team onto the pitch. The EFL Cup has never been Jürgen Klopp’s top priority, which is partly due to the fact that the ex-Dortmund man has only reached the final once since 2015 and has failed to reach it on several occasions, including in the pre-season when he was eliminated by Arsenal in the fourth round.
Will Liverpool’s B eleven maintain home form?
The fact that the odds on a home win in Wednesday night’s quarter-final between Liverpool and Leicester nevertheless imply a fairly clear favourite role for the 2020 champions is primarily due to the strong form the Reds have displayed since the end of the last international break. They have won eight out of nine competitive matches since mid-November. The only exception was the 2-2 draw at Tottenham at the weekend.
Moreover, LFC are unbeatable this season, especially in their own stadium. Nine wins in twelve home games and not a single defeat underline this impressively. 12:1 goals in the past four league games at Anfield also suggest a certain dominance. In the previous League Cup games at Norwich (3-0) and Preston North End (2-0), the Klopp team did not show any weakness either.
As already indicated, we will probably not see one or the other star on the pitch on Wednesday night. Mo Salah could get a break, as could his congenial fellow strikers Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota. Definitely not available are van Dijk, Thiago, Fabinho and Jones, who tested positive. There is still a question mark behind stricken captain Henderson, while left-back Robertson is missing after his red card. Nevertheless, the presumed starting eleven still has the quality to give a Leicester side that is also not at its best a run for its money.
Predicted Liverpool line-up:
Kelleher; Williams, Gomez, Konate, Tsimikas; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Morton, Milner; Gordon, Firmino, Minamino
Last matches played by Liverpool:
Premier League
12/19 2021 – Tottenham 2 – 2 Liverpool FC
12/16 2021 – Liverpool FC 3 – 1 Newcastle United
12/11 2021 – Liverpool FC 1 – 0 Aston Villa
Champions League Grp. B
12/07 2021 – AC Milan 1 – 2 Liverpool FC
Premier League
12/04 2021 – Wolverhampton 0 – 1 Liverpool FC
Leicester – Statistics & current form
The current situation at Leicester City is confusing. The Foxes’ last two Premier League matches at home against Tottenham and at Everton had to be cancelled because numerous players tested positive, leaving coach Brendan Rodgers with too few players to play a league match. As there is no reliable information on which professionals were affected, it is difficult to make an exact analysis.
But it is a fact that the outbreak of infection within the team has meant that it has not been possible to train as much as planned in recent weeks. After two weeks without a game, bold optimists would probably claim that the team will at least be rested for the end of the year. However, we believe that the forced break has had the opposite effect and that fitness and form have suffered from the exceptional situation. As a result, it is too risky for us to place a bet on the visitors between Liverpool and Leicester.
Who is available and who is not?
Apart from that, things are not really going well in general this season. In the Premier League – also due to two outstanding catch-up games – only ninth place is recorded, in the Europa League preliminary round only third place could be reached and also the fact that in the past seven league games only two three-pointers were achieved, underlines the construction sites with which Brendan Rodgers is currently struggling.
In view of the negative away record this season (2-3-3) and the fact that the last away win at national level was on 24 October, the forecast for a home win in the quarter-final clash between Liverpool and Leicester is quite reasonable.
Especially because of the aforementioned lack of personnel. According to rumours, eleven players will not be available on Wednesday evening. Without Vestergaard, Perez, Lookman, Iheanacho, Benkovic, Choudhury, Daley-Campbell and the regular defenders Söyüncü, Evans and Fofana, the task at Anfield Road will be even more difficult.
Predicted Leicester line-up:
Schmeichel; Albrighton, Amartey, Ndidi, Bertrand; Tielemans, Soumare; Maddison, Dewsbury-Hall, Barnes; Daka
Last matches played by Leicester:
Premier League
12/12 2021 – Leicester 4 – 0 Newcastle United
Europa League Grp. C
12/09 2021 – SSC Napoli 3 – 2 Leicester
Premier League
12/05 2021 – Aston Villa 2 – 1 Leicester
12/01 2021 – Southampton 2 – 2 Leicester
11/28 2021 – Leicester 4 – 2 Watford
Liverpool – Leicester Direct Comparison / H2H Record
As if we hadn’t already mentioned enough arguments for an LFC bet on Wednesday night, the direct comparison doesn’t necessarily make for more hopeful faces for the Foxes either. Leicester have not won any of their last ten matches at Anfield. The last away win at the Liverpool Football Temple dates back to 2000, and eight of the ten matches mentioned have been lost by the 2016 champions.
Liverpool – Leicester Tip
The EFL Cup does not have the status in England for many coaches as the Premier League or the FA Cup. That, in turn, often becomes clear when you look at the starting line-ups of the respective teams. On Wednesday evening, too, the maximum B teams of Liverpool and Leicester will meet. However, this does not change the betting odds, which point in the direction of a home win.
This is primarily due to the fact that the visitors are even more likely to be without players than the hosts due to positive tests or quarantine measures. While Klopp can spare players in view of the tight programme in the next few days, the team of his opposite number Brendan Rodgers is practically setting itself up by itself. This is one of the reasons why the advantages thought to be in LFC’s favour are justified.
The Reds have yet to lose a home game in the current campaign across all competitions (9-3-0) and, moreover, are without defeat at home since March 2021. Their form is also good, with eight wins from the last nine compulsory games. The fact that the Foxes have not won at LFC since 2000 is a confirming and revealing secondary aspect.
The bottom line between Liverpool and Leicester is that the bet on a home win after normal time offers the most exciting value. The 1.70 at Unibet is worth a bet of six units to us.
