Liverpool will be looking to make it four wins in succession on Saturday afternoon, with Jurgen Klopp‘s men taking on a handy Leicester City outfit.
Leicester City vs. Liverpool
Saturday, September 1, 2018 – 12.30pm (BST)
King Power Stadium
Premier League
Referee: Paul Tierney
After thumping West Ham and producing an authoritative showing at Crystal Palace, the Reds edged past Brighton last weekend.
Mohamed Salah‘s beautifully taken effort saw Liverpool edge out a spirited Seagulls side at Anfield, though the performance was lacking a spark.
Still, they got the job done without too much drama, again displaying a new-found professional edge to their game.
The Reds sit top of the Premier League table with three matches played, but they will need to improve if that is to remain the case come Monday morning.
Leicester are one of the strongest teams away from the six heavyweight clubs and have players capable of causing anyone damage on their day, even with Jamie Vardy suspended and Riyad Mahrez long gone.
They have registered six points from three games and could feel a little hard done by to lose at Man United in their opening fixture.
The King Power is also a stadium boasting a strong atmosphere, so Liverpool must be switched on from minute one and not endure a Saturday lunchtime slump.
There is still a feeling that they are easing themselves into the new season, despite not dropping a point or conceding a goal.
Victory over the Foxes would be another massive result—Liverpool have the world-class quality to do so, and head into the match as resounding favourites.
This fixture last season: Leicester 2-3 Liverpool
Team News
Klopp has named three unchanged starting lineups so far this season and there is no reason why he won’t follow suit this weekend.
Alisson‘s influence is already being felt and he should start behind Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson.
The only possible change could come in midfield, with captain Jordan Henderson pushing for his first start of the season.
He may replace either Gini Wijnaldum or James Milner, although both have been in excellent form, so there is no great need to bring Henderson in.
Naby Keita is expected to start, along with Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, with Xherdan Shaqiri and Daniel Sturridge waiting in the wings if required.
Dejan Lovren is still injured, as are Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Rhian Brewster, while Fabinho continues to be eased in by Klopp and may not be a part of the matchday squad.
As mentioned, Vardy is suspended for Leicester, which is an obvious boost—he has scored seven times in eight appearances against Liverpool—while Matty James and Caglar Soyuncu are Claude Puel’s only injury absentees.
Former Reds goalkeeper Danny Ward will likely be on the substitutes’ bench, with Kasper Schmeichel first choice.
Last 5 Away to Leicester (All Competitions)
Won 3-2 – September, 2017 (Okazaki, Vardy; Salah, Coutinho, Henderson)
Lost 2-0 – September, 2017 (Okazaki, Slimani)
Lost 3-1 – February, 2017 (Vardy x2, Drinkwater; Coutinho)
Lost 2-0 – February, 2016 (Vardy x2)
Won 3-1 – December, 2014 (Mignolet OG; Lallana, Gerrard, Henderson)
King Power Stadium
Capacity: 32,312
Away fans’ pubs: The Counting House (near the ground) is away friendly and pretty good!
One piece of advice for visiting fan: Take the train rather than driving as parking can be an absolute nightmare.
Arrive a bit earlier than normal, too, as security upon entering the ground (searches etc.) has been heightened.
Did You Know?
Liverpool can make their own little piece of history if they secure victory on Saturday, having never won their first four matches in a Premier League season.
They accumulated 10 points from four games at the start of the near title-winning 2013/14 campaign, but a 2-2 draw at Swansea City robbed them of all 12.
Klopp’s View
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday, Klopp hinted that he won’t make changes, with rotation more important as the season progresses:
“It was always clear August would be a bit different, we’ve started now three times in a row with the same starting lineup.
“That will not happen too often from now in the future. It’s probably not possible, but hopefully we’ll have the choice in that part of the season.
“We didn’t [strengthen] for August, we did it for pretty much all of the months of the season.
“It’s absolutely good but we have to prove that on the pitch.”
TV & Live Blog Info
Saturday’s game is live on Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage getting underway at 11.30am (BST). Kickoff is at 12.30pm.
Henry Jackson is in the chair for This is Anfield’s matchday live blog, with all the buildup before the match and minute-by-minute updates during it.
Fan Comments