Leeds v Liverpool predictions: Reds forward value to silence Elland Road crowd

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Leeds v Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Premier League & Main Event, 4.30pm Sunday

Best bet

Diogo Jota to score first
1pt 6-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Team news

Leeds
Robin Koch is out but Raphinha's Fifa ban has been dropped. Junior Firpo and Mateusz Klich should return to the squad and Daniel James could make his debut after signing from Manchester United.

Liverpool
Brazil goalkeeper Alisson and midfielder Fabinho have been cleared to play. Roberto Firmino, James Milner, Takumi Minamino and Neco Williams are injured but Virgil van Dijk and Harvey Elliott are fit.

Match preview

Leeds finished the 2020-21 Premier League season with four straight victories but Marcelo Bielsa's men are still waiting for their first league win of the new campaign.

Bookmakers do not expect it to come against Liverpool, despite the fact that Leeds gave the Reds a couple of competitive contests on their return to the top flight last term.

Bielsa's boys lost 4-3 at Anfield in a breathless season opener before Diego Llorente's late equaliser earned them a 1-1 draw with Jurgen Klopp's side in April's return fixture.

Liverpool had just 38 per cent of possession that night but it was the only one of their last eight away Premier League fixtures that they failed to win.

The visitors have been boosted by the availability of goalkeeper Alisson and midfielder Fabinho after the Brazilian football federation dropped its call for a Fifa-imposed ban on players who were not released for international duty.

Leeds winger Raphinha, who scored the Whites' equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Everton in their first home game of the season, had been in the same situation while another Brazilian, Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino, will miss out due to a hamstring injury.

Fortunately for Klopp, the Reds have a top-class understudy for Firmino in Portugal international Diogo Jota, who looks a big price to score first against a wobbly Leeds defence.

Bielsa's side started their campaign with a 5-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford and they also conceded the first goal against Everton and in the 1-1 draw at Burnley, where they needed a late equaliser from England new boy Patrick Bamford.

Jota made a flying start to his Liverpool career last season before a knee injury sidelined him from December until March and he has exploded out of the blocks again this term.

He opened the scoring in the 3-0 win at Norwich on the opening weekend and repeated the feat as Liverpool beat Burnley 2-0 at Anfield.

Firmino got the nod to start the 1-1 draw with Chelsea but Jota replaced him in the 43rd minute and had three shots on goal before taking his international tally to eight goals in 21 caps with a strike in Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan.

Mohamed Salah, who has scored twice in his first three league appearances this term, and Sadio Mane take a fair chunk out of the first-goalscorer market so the underrated Jota is a tempting bet.

Leeds drew at home with all of the Premier League's top four last season, while they also beat Tottenham and shared a goalless stalemate with Arsenal at Elland Road, but Liverpool ended the campaign in rampant form on the road.

They do not leap off the coupon at the prices, especially given the fallout from a chaotic international break, but their front three should certainly trouble the home defence.

Key stat

Liverpool have won seven of their last eight away matches in the Premier League.

Scouting report

Leeds

Penalty taker Patrick Bamford
Free-kick wizard Raphinha
Aerial set-piece threat Liam Cooper
Card magnet Kalvin Phillips

Liverpool

Penalty taker Mohamed Salah
Free-kick wizard Trent Alexander-Arnold
Aerial set-piece threat Virgil van Dijk
Card magnet Fabinho

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