Leicester v Liverpool: Premier League prediction, odds, form, stats, verdict

Premier League: Leicester v Liverpool

Where to watch

Amazon Prime, 8pm Thursday

Match odds

11-5 Leicester, 6-5 Liverpool, 11-4 draw

Form

The Premier League's top two meet at the King Power Stadium with Liverpool ten points ahead of Leicester and they also have the luxury of a game in hand away to West Ham.

Jurgen Klopp's side have not long come back from Qatar having added the Club World Cup to their trophy cabinet for the first time, beating Monterrey in the semi-finals and then triumphing after extra-time against Brazilian outfit Flamengo in the final.

On both occasions it was Roberto Firmino who popped up with the winner and the Reds return to Premier League action looking in great shape domestically having dropped just two points all season.

Leicester will also be delighted with their points return this season and they are through to the EFL Cup semi-finals, however, Brendan Rodgers gets ready to take on his former club after claiming just one point from their last two outings.

Team news

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain suffered an injury against Flamengo which may see him join Fabinho, Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip on the sidelines.

Rodgers needs to assess Harvey Barnes, who was substituted in Saturday's 3-1 defeat at Manchester City.

The tactical battle

Liverpool's midfield has just lacked a little balance with Fabinho sidelined and Klopp has tried different players in that holding position as well as using a double pivot with a 4-2-3-1 formation against Watford.

First-goalscorer punters will be eagerly awaiting a sight of the shape as the 4-2-3-1 means Mohamed Salah would probably play as the central striker, a role he played against Watford when he responded with both goals.

Rodgers bemoaned Leicester's lack of fortitude at the Etihad with his midfielders not showing as often as he would have liked but that can be a natural consequence of City's expertly coordinated press.

Leicester took a rare backwards step at Anfield in a 2-1 defeat in October when Rodgers used James Maddison wider and added another central body in Dennis Praet.

Although Liverpool's winner came right at the depth they dominated the shot count on that occasion, forcing eight efforts on target to Leicester's one.

Verdict

Leicester may be able to hold Liverpool to a draw - the Reds have often struggled before winning on the road this season. Five of their eight away successes have been by one goal and the hosts possess enough quality to make this a test for the runaway leaders. Draw 1-1.

Key stats

• Leicester have scored in 11 of their last 12 matches against Liverpool
• Foxes forward Jamie Vardy has notched in nine of his last ten Premier League appearances
• Liverpool have lost only one league match in 2019
• Seven of Liverpool's 17 league games this season have resulted in 2-1 victories

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