Third meet fourth in the Premier League this afternoon as Liverpool travel to Leicester in what should be a competitive tie in the battle for Champions League spots.
Liverpool have two wins and three losses from their last five outings and head into today’s game following back-to-back defeats that have them positioned 10 points off leaders Manchester City, who have a match in hand.
It was City who downed Liverpool 4-1 in the Reds’ last fixture, while Leicester earned a 1-0 last-minute victory in their FA Cup fifth-round meeting with Brighton. Kelechi Iheanacho’s header regained some momentum for the Foxes, whose most recent Premier League result was a 0-0 draw with Wolves.
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Leicester coach and former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers will be keen to prove his side’s quality as they look to leapfrog second-placed Man United – if only briefly – while Jurgen Klopp, who has this week mourned the passing of his mother, will aim to steer the Reds back in the right direction and above their hosts on goal difference.
Here’s everything you need to know about the top-flight game.
When is it?
The match will kick off at 12.30pm GMT today.
How can I watch it?
The game will air live on BT Sport 1 and subscribers can stream it live on the BT Sport website and app.
What is the team news?
There is more nightmare news for Liverpool defensively, with fill-in centre-back Fabinho ruled out here with a “little muscle issue”, meaning new signings Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies are both in line for a debut. Midfielders Thiago and Georginio Wijnaldum are doubts for the game, with the former missing training earlier this week and the latter having trained away from the rest of the squad. Regardless, Naby Keita, Diogo Jota, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip are all still out.
Leicester have their own injury problems, meanwhile, with James Justin having torn his ACL against Brighton this week to rule him out for the rest of the season. Timothy Castagne is also absent in defence, and Ayoze Perez sustained a shin issue against the Seagulls. Long-term absentees Wesley Fofana, Dennis Praet and Wes Morgan remain sidelined.
Confirmed line-ups
Leicester XI: Schmeichel; Amartey, Evans, Soyuncu, Ricardo; Ndidi, Tielemans; Albrighton, Maddison, Barnes; Vardy
Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Kabak, Henderson, Robertson; Wijnaldum, Jones, Milner; Mane, Salah, Firmino
Odds
Leicester: 12/5
Draw: 5/2
Liverpool: 11/10
Prediction
Leicester are not the sort of opponents Liverpool will be wanting to face amid the Reds’ troubling run of results, and the news of Fabinho’s injury will not improve confidence among the champions’ fans. Leicester have slipped up a few times this season when they’ve had the chance to narrow the gap to the top, however, and must put an end to that pattern here. Leicester 1-1 Liverpool.
