LIVERPOOL VS LEICESTER: PREVIEW

Liverpool host Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City at Anfield tomorrow night for a chance to go through to the League Cup semis. The Reds are coming off a 2-2 draw away to Spurs whilst Leicester have had their last two games postponed. We preview the game.

The Foxes have not had the best of seasons so far, lying 9th in the Premier League and failing to qualify from their Europe League group. That failure has seen them demoted to the UEFA Conference League. Rodgers’ side has been all over the place defensively, keeping just one clean sheet in their last 17 matches in all competitions.

That clean sheet came in a 4-0 thrashing of Newcastle almost a fortnight ago. That game was their last before fixtures against Tottenham and Everton got postponed due to an outbreak of Covid in their squad. As we saw with Spurs, getting time off during this hectic period is no bad thing.

Leicester got to this stage of the competition by beating Championship side Milwall 2-0, before knocking out Brighton on penalties after a 2-2 draw. They come into this clash fresh and rested, with genuine sights on another Cup run after winning the FA Cup last season.

Their fixture list over Christmas is a bit of a nightmare though, with this trip to Anfield followed by a trip to the Etihad on Boxing Day to take on a Man City side that’s won each of their last eight league games. Two days after that, they welcome Liverpool to the King Power stadium.

Whether Rodgers will choose to rotate for tomorrow night’s matchup remains to be seen. For Jürgen Klopp, there is no choice than to rotate. It’s been a busy few weeks and with Covid keeping out some key players, his options are stretched thin.

With Leeds on Boxing Day, and a trip to Leicester two days later, rotation will be key to keep key players fit and fresh. Jürgen has made his disdain for the double legged semi final well known, and with the semis slated for 4/5th and 11/12th of January, you wonder if he even wants the hassle.

The Anfield crowd will have to play their part to urge a weakened side to victory. Like we said in our review of the Spurs game, the Carabao Cup is begging to be won and it is risky for the club to put all its eggs in the Premier League and Champions League baskets.

Liverpool are in good form having won eight of their last nine matches in all competitions whilst their opponents come into this with one victory and two defeats in their last four. The Foxes knocked Liverpool out the last time these two met in the League Cup, winning 2-0 back in 2017-18.

Liverpool have suffered just the one defeat to the Foxes in the last eight encounters, with that defeat coming at the King Power last season when the Reds capitulated late on. The Reds are unbeaten in their last 10 home games against Leicester in all competitions (W8 D2).

Klopp’s side will be looking to reach the League Cup semis for the first time since 2016-17. They’ve reached the last eight just once since then, losing 5-0 at Aston Villa in 2019-20 when the senior team was away winning the Club World Cup. Should they win this tie, they’ll be confident of going all the way.

In the other ties, Arsenal face Sunderland, Tottenham face West Ham, whilst Brentford host Chelsea. It is not a lineup of teams that will strike fear into the hearts of Kopites. Should Liverpool manage to knock Leicester out tomorrow, the pathway to the trophy opens up.

Team News

For Liverpool, Harvey Elliot (ankle), Nat Phillips (cheekbone), Origi (knee), Fabinho, Van Dijk, Thiago and Curtis Jones (Covid) are all out. For Leicester, Vestergaard, Choudhury, Iheanacho, Perez and Lookman missed the games against Napoli and Newcastle this month because of illness and coronavirus-related issues.

Jonny Evans and Caglar Soyuncu both suffered hamstring injuries during the Foxes’ last match against the Magpies and may have been afforded enough time to recover without having missed a fixture. Daniel Amartey will be back in the squad after his recent absence.

Key Players

Takumi Minamino

The Japanese international has scored three goals in two matches in the competition this season, having netted against Norwich City and Preston North End. He’ll be making his first start here since the 2-1 win at the San Siro and will want to impress.

Neco Williams

The 20 year old has been one of the best players on the pitch every time he’s started a match this season. He’s really blossoming well as international exposure seems to have taken him up a level. With two assists already to his name this season, he’ll be looking to make his mark here to earn the trust of the manager for whenever Trent needs a rest.

Patson Daka

The 23 year old has been a bit of a revelation for Leicester City this season. He’s been a breath of fresh air and has offered an alternative to veteran Jamie Vardy and Nigerian Kelechi Iheanacho. He’s scored 7 goals and provided 3 assists in 16 appearances this season, although he is yet to score in the League Cup.