Will the Reds continue to play catch-up?
In terms of winter transfers, the top English clubs have been surprisingly restrained so far. However, just a few days before the turn of the year, Liverpool Football Club made a start by signing Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven. With the Dutch international, who scored three goals in the preliminary round of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Reds are also sending an exclamation mark to their rivals in the battle for the vacant Champions League places.
On Boxing Day, coach Jürgen Klopp’s team also made a successful return to league action from the World Cup break. LFC now want to confirm their away success at Aston Villa at home at Anfield Road. In fact, there are many indications that betting on the home side between Liverpool and Leicester will pay off. The bookmakers also agree that Mo Salah and Co. go into this match as heavy favourites.
However, the Foxes should not be left out of the equation in this case, as the sensational 2016 champions have recently celebrated three away victories in a row and have not conceded a single goal.
However, the Blue team has yet to win anything against the absolute top clubs from England’s top flight in the current season. For this reason, we only dare to predict that the 13th-placed team will score a goal before the match between Liverpool and Leicester. However, this should not be enough to win a point or a victory against the offensive power of the Reds.
Liverpool – Statistics & current form
Liverpool FC cannot be satisfied with their performance so far this season. After just 15 matchdays, the Reds are already 15 (!) points behind leaders Arsenal, so it is fair to say that the 2022/23 title race in England will be without the Reds’ involvement.
First and foremost, coach Jürgen Klopp’s charges want to finish in the top four to at least secure a Champions League ticket for the coming season. In addition, LFC wants to attack silverware in the current edition of the top flight and certainly also in the FA Cup. To actually tackle these lofty goals, more consistency than in recent weeks and months is needed above all else.
Fourth Premier League treble in a row for LFC?
A step in the right direction was certainly the 3-1 Boxing Day win at Aston Villa, which was set up in particular by a very strong and focused first half. If you include the two wins before the World Cup break, it was already the third Premier League treble in a row. It is the first time the Reds have had such a run in the English top flight in 2022/23.
However, the 19-time title holders still cannot get a grip on one weak point. The defence is still far too fragile. In the last five league games, the Scousers have conceded at least one goal. Four times in a row, a bet on ‘both hit the target’ would have paid off. Only four clean sheets are on the books after 15 matchdays. Both teams have scored in two thirds of all LFC matches (10 out of 15)
Injury woes are especially hard on the offensive side
In our eyes, it is therefore a good approach to look at the odds for both teams to score between Liverpool and Leicester. At Bet3000 there is currently a 1.80 in the top to pocket.
As the transfer of Gakpo mentioned in the introduction will not go through until 01 January, he is obviously not yet an option for next Friday. Arthur, Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Firmino are also missing through injury. Milner and Jones are also likely to miss out. Konate, meanwhile, could return to central defence alongside van Dijk.
Predicted Liverpool line-up:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Thiago, Fabinho, Elliott; Salah, Nunez, Carvalho
Last matches played by Liverpool:
Premier League
27/12/2022 – Aston Villa 1 – 3 Liverpool FC
Carabao Cup
23/12/2022 – Manchester City 3 – 2 FC Liverpool
Friendly club matches
16/12/2022 – Liverpool FC 4 – 1 AC Milan
11/12/2022 – Liverpool FC 1 – 3 Lyon
Premier League
12/11/2022 – Liverpool FC 3 – 1 Southampton
Leicester – Statistics & current form
Just over two months ago, Leicester City were bottom of the Premier League. The Foxes only managed to pick up four points from their first nine games. With a disastrous record of just one win, one draw and seven defeats, Brendan Rodgers was also seriously worried about his job.
Even a few days before New Year’s Eve, all that glitters is far from gold, but the 2016 title holders have at least managed to free themselves from the very modest spheres of the table. Because four of the last seven matches were won and the Blues from the East Midlands finally got a grip on their previously wild defence, they are currently in 13th place in the intermediate rankings. They are now four points clear of the relegation zone.
Disappointing re-start against the Magpies
The implied stabilisation of the defence is, of course, reflected in numbers. While a staggering 24 goals were conceded in the first nine matchdays, only four more goals were conceded in the most recent four matches. In five of the aforementioned seven league games, the Foxes even kept their clean sheet.
It wasn’t until Boxing Day that there was a relapse into the old days, as a 3-0 defeat at home to Newcastle United showed once again that Rodgers’ troops don’t have much to say against the top teams in Europe’s strongest national football league.
The Foxes have been convincing away from home recently
The Foxes have picked up exactly zero points from matches against Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham, Manchester City or Newcastle. Taking this statistic into account, it becomes clear why we are predicting the outcome of the match between Liverpool and Leicester in favour of the hosts.
Nevertheless, the visitors can be expected to score a goal, as last year’s team was extremely dangerous away from home, especially before the World Cup break. In Wolverhampton (4:0), in Everton (2:0) as well as at West Ham United (2:0) the Foxes celebrated three victories in a row and convinced with very good performances. Only the tense personnel situation is making coach Rodgers, who as is well known also has an LFC past, sweat. Praet, Bertrand, Pereira, Justin, Evans and difference-maker Maddison are all unavailable.
Predicted Leicester line-up:
Ward; Castagne, Amartey, Faes, Thomas; Ndidi, Tielemans; Perez, Dewsbury-Hall, Barnes; Vardy
Last matches played by Leicester:
Premier League
26/12/2022 – Leicester 0 – 3 Newcastle
Carabao Cup
21/12/2022 – Milton Keynes Dons 0 – 3 Leicester
Club Friendlies
10/12/2022 – Leicester 0 – 0 Troyes
Premier League
12/11/2022 – West Ham 0 – 2 Leicester
Carabao Cup
09/11/2022 – Leicester 3 – 0 Newport
Liverpool – Leicester Direct Comparison / H2H Record
Liverpool have already suffered 34 defeats against their upcoming opponents in the English top flight. Despite this, the Reds lead the head-to-head with 41 wins in 96 attempts. In the last four Premier League meetings, the home team has always come out on top. In 2021/22, LFC won 2-0 at home but lost 1-0 at the King Power Stadium.
The Foxes’ last PL away win at Anfield, meanwhile, dates back to 2000, while the 19-time champions have won nine and drawn two of their past 11 home games at Liverpool’s football temple. Both teams have scored in eight of the past twelve league encounters. In five of the eight matches in question, the Scousers still managed to come out on top. Therefore, the odds for a combined bet of ‘Win LFC & BTS’ between Liverpool and Leicester may be worth considering.
Liverpool – Leicester Tip
Liverpool Football Club are looking to continue their run of form in the English Premier League. Next opponents are the Foxes from Leicester on Friday evening. The sixth-placed team will meet the 13th-placed team. The role of the favourites is clearly distributed, although the visitors go into this match with the recommendation of three away victories in a row – all of them, however, before the World Cup break.
In their first league match after the World Cup in Qatar, Rodgers’ team lost 3-0 to Newcastle and were already trailing after just over half an hour. The Reds, on the other hand, won 3-1 at Aston Villa and laid the foundations in the first half. So there is a lot to be said for the 19-time title holders in this match, who have also not lost any of their last eleven Premier League home games against their upcoming opponents. Liverpool vs Leicester betting odds also paint a very one-sided picture.
We’re not a fan of playing the low odds on the home win, however, and could well see both teams scoring at least once instead. The Foxes have underlined their good form with four wins from the last seven league games, while the Klopp team has also always conceded at least one goal in the last five PL games. Therefore, the bet on ‘Both score’ between Liverpool and Leicester is very interesting. The top odds are around 1.80.
