Leicester City vs Liverpool
Date: 23/09/17
K.O: 17:30pm
TV: BT Sport 1 & BT Sport 4K UHD
The Foxes welcome Liverpool to the King Power just 3 days after knocking them out of the Carabao Cup with a 2-0 win, a game which marked the fourth game in all competitions that Liverpool have failed to score.
It’s not all dandy in the blue corner either: Leicester lie 15th in the Premier League table with only four points from their opening five Premier League games.
Team News:
Both teams made vast amount of changes for their midweek game with no Vardy for Leicester and no Salah or Firmino for Liverpool, but expect the latter two to come back in to the team for this game but there will still be no Sadio Mane who serves the last of his 3 game suspension after his red card against Manchester City.
Will Klopp look to shake up a fragile defence though? On Wednesday he said in an interview with the Guardian that he was ‘really sick’ with the type of goals they were consistently conceding: the stats back this u with Liverpool conceding 10 in their last four and have yet to keep a clean sheet away from Anfield. It’s almost as if they need a centre back…
I wouldn’t say that Klopp is under pressure, he was brought in by the ownership to transform the team and take them back to where they once stood, but there are question being asked. They and everyone else knew that they were defensively fragile hence going in for Van Dyk, but to have no fall back option is madness, a situation not helped by Dejan Lovren’s consistent late withdrawal from matchday squads. They need to ratify this defensive situation and they need to do it know.
As for Leicester, well they have a striker in Jamie Vardy who is in cracking league form, according to OptaJoe he has had a hand in 15 goals in 18 Premier League games under Shakespeare with 12 goals and 3 assists, and it is his pace and timing that will cause a fragile Liverpool defence worlds of issues. Liverpool need the win but Leicester are a quality team, they will know what they have to do.
Liverpool showed with their dismantling of Arsenal that they quality is there and the returning Firmino and Salah will be a great help, plus Mane when he comes back, but right now they need to be focusing on shutting Leicester out and letting their front three weave some magic. Can they do it? I think so: 1-2 final score for me Clive.
Written by Olly Norman.
