Liverpool host Leicester City in the Premier League on Friday evening for their final match of 2022.
Jurgen Klopp’s side emerged from Villa Park with all three points on Boxing Day, recording three consecutive Premier League wins – straddling a six-week World Cup hiatus – for the first time all season.
Leicester had a run of four straight victories across all competitions halted by a ruthless Newcastle United, shipping three first-half goals – as many as the Foxes had conceded across their previous ten matches.
Here’s everything you need to know about Brendan Rodgers’ return to Anfield.
Liverpool vs Leicester H2H Results (Last Five Games)
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Liverpool team news
Roberto Firmino and James Milner are on the verge of regaining full fitness but Friday’s outing may come too soon. Curtis Jones is also nearing a return.
Diogo Jota, Arthur Melo and Luis Diaz are set to remain sidelined throughout January and beyond. However, Ibrahima Konate could be considered available once again after his late return from the World Cup with beaten finalists France.
Liverpool Starting 11 (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Nunez, Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Bench: Kelleher, Gomez, Phillips, Tsimikas, Bajcetic, Keita, Carvalho, Elliott, Doak.
Leicester team news
Dennis Praet joined a lengthy injury list after limping off inside the opening 20 minutes of Leicester’s defeat to Newcastle on Boxing Day.
Neither Ryan Bertrand (knee) nor James Justin (Achilles) is near a return to any Premier League pitch. Ricardo Pereira, however, could be back as soon as the middle of January.
Captain Jonny Evans will ‘be out for a period of time’ with a calf issue according to Rodgers. Leicester’s leading scorer James Maddison is also a doubt as he continues to nurse a nagging knee problem.
Leicester Starting 11 (4-1-4-1): Ward; Castagne, Amartey, Faes, Thomas; Soumare; Perez, Tielemans, Dewsbury-Hall, Barnes; Vardy.
Bench: Iversen, Soyuncu, Vestergaard, Mendy, Ndidi, Albrighton, Iheanacho, Daka, Braybrooke.
Since Rodgers was replaced by Klopp at Liverpool, Leicester’s manager has lost all four of his visits back to Anfield – including a galling penalty shootout loss after conceding a 95th-minute equaliser in last season’s Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
There is a guarantee that Friday’s matchup won’t be a repeat of spot-kick heartbreak but the familiar sinking feeling which has accompanied Rodgers’ returns to Merseyside may well reappear.
Liverpool navigated the eminently tricky task of an away trip to Unai Emery’s Aston Villa impressively and should have enough to overcome a Leicester side that could be without their talismanic attacking thrust.
Prediction: Liverpool 3-1 Leicester
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Credit: 90min.com
