Liverpool vs Leicester City: Preview, team news and prediction

Liverpool are set to face off against Championship side Leicester City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.

The Merseyside club have enjoyed a stellar start to their Premier League campaign this season, accumulating 16 points in the first six games, sitting only two points behind the league leaders Manchester City.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have also started their Europa League season by defeating LASK in the opening group stage fixture last weekend. So, having endured a dire campaign last term, Liverpool have commenced the new season brilliantly and are currently showing signs that they could challenge on all fronts this term.

However, although Liverpool have been managing to find ways to beat teams early on this term, they have looked vulnerable in almost every game and they have been giving up chances for the opposition to score goals. So, Liverpool should focus on solidifying their back if they want to win big trophies this season.

The Merseyside club have revamped their engine room in the recently concluded summer window and signed Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch after letting Naby Keita, Alex Olexlade-Chamberlain, James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho leave the club.

But, they didn’t opt to strengthen their backline which looked very fragile last term. Virgil van Dijk hasn’t been at his best in recent years, while Joe Gomes and Joel Matip struggled with their form last term.

Ibrahima Konate have showcased glimpses of his talent but has been struggling with injury problems since moving to Anfield back in 2021. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defensive frailties are well-known so, it was thought that the Merseyside club would look to sign a new defender this summer to strengthen their defence, but, they eventually opted not to do that.

Klopp’s side have showcased their defensive frailties in the first few games, though they have managed to accumulate points. However, if Klopp can’t manage to address that issue then Liverpool could find it difficult to achieve their lofty ambitions this season.

Opponents watch

After failing to secure their Premier League status last term, Leicester have enjoyed a stellar start in the Championship this term, winning seven of their eight games and sitting at the top of the league table.

So, the Foxes will be coming into this game full of confidence and they will be hoping to beat Liverpool in this encounter and progress through to the next round.

Potential rotation opportunity

Klopp generally uses the Carabao Cup games to rotate his squad and give the reserved and young players opportunities to get some first-team action.

So, it is likely to be the same in this encounter, especially given Liverpool are set to face off against Tottenham Hotspur – who have also enjoyed a stellar start to this season under the new boss Ange Postecoglou’s guidance – in the Premier League next weekend and Klopp would be looking to keep his first team players fresh before that game.

Therefore, Liverpool might not prioritise winning this competition this term as they are likely to be focusing on achieving bigger prizes.

Previous meetings

Liverpool have enjoyed great success against the Foxes at Anfield in recent years as they haven’t been beaten by them since 2000. The Merseyside club have also been the dominant team in this competition against Leicester as Klopp’s side have won the last two fixtures versus the Foxes.

How to watch

The game will kick off at 7:45 PM UK time but the encounter won’t be telecasted live in the UK. Therefore, the only way to watch all the action live is to be at the game in person. Official channels have already sold out but you can still buy tickets at Seatsnet if you want to head to Anfield this evening.

Team news

Liverpool doesn’t have many injury absentees at the moment, but Trent Alexander-Arnold could remain sidelined due to a hamstring issue.

Thiago Alcántara has been suffering from an injury problem since the start of this season and as a consequence of that, he hasn’t been able to feature for Liverpool so far this season. So, he is likely to be unavailable for this encounter as well.

As for Leicester, Dennis Praet and Tom Cannon are likely to be unavailable for this encounter due to back issues, while Callum Doyle is expected to miss out after sustaining a knee injury in the last game against Bristol City.

Conor Coady was among the substitutes last weekend after recovering from a foot injury and it remains to be seen whether Enzo Maresca opts to play the former Liverpool academy product in this fixture.

Predicted line-up

Klopp is expected to shuffle his squad tomorrow but is likely to continue with his preferred 4-3-3 formation.

Caoimhin Kelleher is set to be in goal and in front of the Irishman, Stefan Bajcetic, Ibrahima Konate, Jarell Quansah and Konstantinos Tsimikas should be the back four for the Reds.

Wataru Endo is likely to be the deep-lying midfielder and on either side of the Japanese, Ryan Gravenberch and Harvey Elliott may start in the engine room. Coady Gakpo, Ben Doak and Diogo Jota could be the front three for Liverpool in this fixture.

Expected Liverpool line-up vs Leicester

Kelleher; Bajcetic, Konate, Quansah, Tsimikas; Endo, Gravenberch, Elliott; Jota, Gakpo, Doak

As for Leicester, Maresca could also look to rotate his squad in this fixture to give those players game time who haven’t been able to play regularly so far this season. The Italian boss likes to deploy a 4-2-3-1 system and it’s going to be the same in this encounter.

Possible starting eleven for Leicester

Jakub Stolarczyk; Marc Albrighton, Wout Faes, Jannik Vestegaard, James Justin; Harry Winks, Wilfred Ndidi, Cesare Casadei; Yunus Akgun, Jamie Vardy, Stephy Mavididi

Key players

Mohamed Salah is Liverpool’s key player but is expected to be given a breather in this encounter. So, the onus will be on Gakpo and Jota to finish off chances.

Van Dijk is the mainstay of Liverpool’s backline but given he is likely to be given a break, the responsibility will be on Konate to be the leader at the back.

As for Leicester, Verdy is their talismanic figure and responsibilities will be on him to finish off the chances and take his club to the next round by defeating Liverpool.

Prediction

Liverpool are heavy favourites to come away victorious in this fixture and the added advantage for them is that they will be at home. The Reds record at Anfield under Jurgen Klopp has been excellent and they are almost unbeatable at home.

So, Leicester will find it extremely difficult to come away with a positive result tomorrow. This is a knockout fixture and if two teams can’t be separated after the 90-minute the match will go straight into the penalties.

However, Klopp’s side are expected to finish off the game within the regulation time and Liverpool are likely to go through to the next round, Liverpool 3-1 Leicester City.