Liverpool will look to extend their winning run to five matches in all competitions as they face Leeds United at Anfield on Thursday.
Arne Slot’s team have won their previous three Premier League matches, the last one coming against Wolves on Saturday. However, Leeds are also in good form, unbeaten in their last five league games.
Leeds have an in-form striker in Dominic Calvert-Lewin who was in the scoring sheet when these two teams met earlier this month in a 3-3 thrilling draw.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s game.
How to watch:
The match will be will be shown on Sky Sports in the UK, NBC Sports in the U.S., JioHotstar in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN’s live updates.
Key Details:
Kick-off time: Thursday, Jan. 1 at 5:30 p.m. GMT (12:30 p.m. ET; 11:30 p.m. IST and 5 a.m. AEST, Friday)
Venue: Anfield, Liverpool
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
VAR: Darren England
Injury and Team News:
Liverpool:
Mohamed Salah, F: AFCON, OUT
Alexander Isak, F: ankle, OUT, est. return unknown
Wataru Endo, M: knock, OUT, est. return early Jan.
Joe Gomez, D: hamstring, OUT, est. return early Jan.
Leeds United:
Joe Rodon, D: ankle, OUT, est. return mid Jan.
Sean Longstaff, M: calf, OUT, est. return mid Jan.
Daniel James, M: thigh, OUT, est. return late Jan.
Talking Points:
Wirtz and Kerkez connection
Wirtz was the best player for Liverpool in their win against Wolves. A first Premier League goal was just icing on the cake as he created more chances than anybody on the field, won the most duels, had the most touches in the opponent’s box and played most final third passes.
When the team was missing a few key players due to injuries, suspension and international duties, Wirtz stepped up and showed why Liverpool spent so much on him this summer. It was just a matter of time.
But what also worked for the team was how Wirtz and fullback Milos Kerkez combined on the left.
It looked like they enjoyed playing with each other and developed a trust that was apparent with and without the ball. Wirtz has the creativity to match Kerkez’s tenacity. Unlike in previous matches when Cody Gakpo started, there was barely any threat from that side of the pitch. The one-dimensionality of Gakpo and Kerkez combination, with the forward mostly preferring to cut in from the left did not hugely benefit the team.
Gakpo is now fit to start but Slot should stick with the same Wirtz and Kerkez against Leeds.
Szoboszlai to return… but not in midfield?
Dominik Szoboszlai will return to the side after serving his suspension against Wolves, but the main question is where will he play? Federico Chiesa started as a forward on the right against Wolves but Slot could put him back on the bench for the upcoming match.
It will be interesting to see if Szoboszlai starts from the right, which he did in the previous games, or if Slot will pick a more natural winger in Jeremie Frimpong.
The advantage with Frimpong is that he can use the width of the pitch and his speed will be a constant threat from the right. Conor Bradley is also fit so he can be the full back behind Frimpong and Szoboszlai can take his place in the midfield. Although Curtis Jones, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch worked well against Wolves, if Szoboszlai comes in then Mac Allister might have to start from the bench.
Liverpool’s defensive frailty
Liverpool are unbeaten in seven and have won their last four matches but that doesn’t mean they have fixed all their issues. Like it happened against Spurs, Liverpool took a two-goal lead against Wolves but conceded from a set-piece which completely changed the dynamics of the match, putting Slot’s team under immense pressure for the rest of the minutes.
Credit to Liverpool who showed some grit to take the three points from both the matches but set-piece defending needs massive improvements. It was only earlier this month that both Leeds and Liverpool met at the Elland Road and Ao Tanaka made it 3-3 deep into the extra-time after the visiting team failed to clear a corner. From the set-pieces alone, Liverpool conceded 12 while scoring only three times this season, which is the worst record in the league. In the whole of last season, they gave away just nine goals from set-pieces.
Both Slot and club captain Virgil van Dijk spoke about it.
“It’s something we have to improve. I would say at least 75% of the time or even more, it’s not even about the first contact. It’s the second phase that is the killer,” van Dijk said.
Even after 18 matches in the league and a few more in other competitions, Liverpool have failed to fix the problem.
There used to be a time a few years back when a corner against Liverpool would be a goal-scoring opportunity for the Reds thanks to their ultra-quick counter-attacks. Not anymore. Slot and his coaching staff have to work hard on the fix in the second half of the season.
Can Calvert-Lewin add to his goal streak?
Dominic Calvert-Lewin maintained his brilliant scoring run as Leeds played out a 1-1 against Sunderland on Sunday. The striker scored in the match as he hit seven goals in the last six games which is the best scoring run for the club in the last 65 years.
Just a few months back, it seemed Calvert-Lewin’s best days as a striker were behind him. He scored only once in the first 10 Premier League matches with his team also struggling but now Leeds are seven points above 18th placed team, increasing the job security of their head coach Daniel Farke. Credit should also go to Farke who changed the formation to 3-5-2 which resulted in getting the best out of Calvert-Lewin.
Thanks to his goal-scoring exploits, Calvert-Lewin is now making a strong case for his inclusion in the World Cup squad.
What do the numbers say?
Liverpool have scored 19 goals in their last five Premier League matches against Leeds, winning thrice and losing just once. Their last meeting was the 3-3 draw earlier this month.
Liverpool have also won five of their last six Premier League New Year Day’s games. Their last defeat came against Chelsea back in 2005. Meanwhile, Leeds have won just one of their last six league games on New Year’s Day.
Leeds United haven’t lost any of their last 10 league games played in January since a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in 2023 under Jesse Marsch.
