Leicester City vs Liverpool
English Premier League
King Power Stadium, Leicester
Saturday, 23 September 2017
Kickoff Time: 17:30 BST
Just four days after a clash in the EFL Cup, Liverpool yet again face Leicester City at the King Power Stadium in a Premier League rematch. Tuesday’s fixture produced an upset as The Foxes came away with a 2-0 win. Jurgen Klopp’s rotated side was extremely wasteful in front of goal and they were punished for it thanks to goals from Okazaki and Slimani.
This time around, Liverpool’s starters will take their position and they will certainly be motivated to avenge their club in this clash. A second form of motivation comes from the fact that Jurgen Klopp’s team has underperformed thus far in the Premier League season by their standards. The Reds are currently in 8th place, but have the same amount of points as seven other clubs. A win against Leicester will push them much higher in the table, whereas a loss could make them fall into the bottom half.
Leicester City themselves currently sit in the bottom half of the table, in 15th. They are perhaps in greater need of a win because they are only ahead of 18th place Everton, in the relegation zone, on goal difference.
The Foxes will be assessing Jamie Vardy’s minor hamstring injury but he is likely to play against Liverpool on Saturday. The English striker is in good form for Leicester, scoring in each of previous two Premier League matches. Christian Fuchs is also likely to return, however Leonardo Ulloa and Matty James are doubts.
While Leicester do not have many concerning injuries in their team, Liverpool have several players struggling with fitness at the moment. Jurgen Klopp will experience a defensive crisis, as Dejan Lovren has been injured for the previous two matches, and Joel Matip and Emre Can both picked up little injuries from the last game. It remains to be seen which of the three defensive players will be available on Saturday.
Possible starting lineups:
Liverpool: Mignolet; Gomez, Matip, Klavan, Robertson; Can, Henderson, Coutinho; Salah, Sturridge, Firmino.
Leicester City: Schmeichel; Simpson, Morgan, Maguire, Chilwell; Mahrez, Ndidi, King, Albrighton; Okazaki, Vardy.
The intensity of this fixture will certainly be high as it is a crucial game for both clubs. This should allow for goals to come from both sides. If Liverpool can take their chances this game, they should be the favorites to grab three points.
Score prediction: Leicester City 1 – 2 Liverpool
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