*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
Isn’t it really annoying that you always seem to bump into your ex when you’re at a particularly low ebb? So it is for Liverpool this weekend, when they travel to the east Midlands to face their former manager Brendan Rodgers’ new love, Leicester City.
The Reds have certainly been on a bad run recently. Top of the league at Christmas, their form has been so poor since that they are now 40/1 to win the title. Save your money.
Saturday 12.30pm: Leicester v Liverpool
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If that wasn’t bad enough, Liverpool were labelled as ‘bad champions’ by Roy Keane, who had previously tipped them to retain their title as far back as, er, three weeks ago.
And while they have been defeated in three games in a row at Anfield, and Jurgen Klopp has finally lost back-to-back Premier League matches for the first time despite having been in charge for over five years, the Reds have actually been doing pretty well away from home recently.
Match result: Draw
Liverpool have only lost one of their last nine league games on the road, and won their last two against Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham respectively. However – and this will sound a little crazy when you consider they’ve both won 7-0 and lost 7-2 away from home – a lot of the matches have been reasonably close.
They are joint-top of the away-draws table and their only defeat apart from their Villa Park debacle was by a single goal. Factor in that Leicester have only lost one of their six matches against the traditional big six clubs this season – having beaten Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham along the way – and it’s clear that this is not going to be an easy assignment for Liverpool as they look to bounce back from their heavy defeat to the champions elect.
As the Foxes will be happy to avoid defeat to retain their three-point advantage over the visitors, and Liverpool won’t be heartbroken to tick off one of their toughest remaining matches with a point, this feels like a game where a draw suits all parties reasonably well. Except Roy Keane, that is, as he’s bound to get annoyed about something.
Liverpool to have 5 or more shots on target
And no matter the outcome of the match, it seems likely that the Reds will keep Kasper Schmeichel busy, as they usually do whenever they face Leicester. Liverpool have had 27 shots on target in their three matches against Rodgers’ Foxes side, and have put at least five efforts on target in three of their last four league visits to the King Power.
Klopp’s boys have also hit this benchmark in seven of their 11 away matches in 2020/21, the joint-second most in the league behind – yawn, inevitably – Manchester City. As only six teams in the division, all of whom go into the weekend in the bottom eight of the table, have conceded more shots on target at home than Leicester have, the Foxes’ number one can expect to have his work cut out on Saturday.
Both teams to score
It isn’t all bad news for Rodgers, though. His opposite number is faced with several key dilemmas at the back end of his team. Does Klopp persist with playing two midfielders in the centre of his defence? Or does he throw in one or both of his new centre-backs, neither of whom has played top flight football in England before?
And what the hell was Alisson Becker doing against City last weekend? The Reds are top of the Premier League’s ‘both teams to score’ table at present, and while they won their last two meetings with Leicester to nil, the seven previous league clashes all saw both sides find the back of the old onion bag. Liverpool’s defensive uncertainty should result in both teams scoring here.
Mohamed Salah to score anytime
It’s always tricky to know who to back for a goal scorer bet when the Reds play. Maybe Roberto Firmino is the man to pick? Only three players in history have scored more goals for Liverpool against Leicester, after all. One of them was – yawn, inevitably – Ian Rush.
Or how about Sadio Mane? The Senegalese forward had the Reds’ best non-penalty chance against Manchester City, and scored and had a further two clear-cut chances in his previous appearance away from Anfield.
But if in doubt, go for Mo. Salah brought Liverpool’s recent goal drought to an end with a brace at Old Trafford, and is the only player to score more than once for the club in the four games since too. Leicester are weak at defending counter attacks, so Salah should score anytime to increase his lead in the 2020/21 Golden Boot race.
Tips for Leicester v Liverpool
The Draw
Both Teams to Score
Liverpool to Have 5 or More Shots on Target
Mo Salah to Score Anytime
These selections in an acca-insured 4-fold Bet Builder will give you odds of around 13/1 with Paddy Power.
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*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
More tips for Saturday
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- Our 13/1 bet builder for Man City v Tottenham on Saturday
- Watkins the key in this 29/1 Bet Builder for Brighton v Aston Villa
- Phil Thompson’s 4 best bets for Leicester v Liverpool
- Tap in our 4 best bets for Crystal Palace v Burnley on Saturday
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