Man City and Chelsea scalped, could Liverpool be next for Leicester?

All the latest Liverpool v Leicester news and odds

It’s been a funny old season for Leicester City. The Foxes sit comfortably in mid-table in the Premier League. Yet there’s a sense this talented group of players could be doing so much more.

When they do fulfill their potential, it tends to be against the big sides. Claude Puel’s men saw off Manchester City and Chelsea in successive matches over the Christmas period.

That got us wondering – could Liverpool be next on the list?

Taking it to them

Liverpool are vulnerable to the counter-attack. The Reds tend to pile bodies forward and leave themselves open to being exposed at the back. They’ve stemmed that to an extent this season with more of an emphasis on the defence.

But Crystal Palace showed at Anfield 11 days ago that Jurgen Klopp’s men are still there to be got at. You just need to counter effectively and take your chances. The Eagles ultimately left themselves too much to do but they showed how to expose the Reds defensively.

There’s no guarantee Liverpool will be quite as generous on Wednesday night, although defensive issues could give Leicester a chance. James Milner is banned and Joe Gomez remains out, while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dejan Lovren are both doubtful.

Virgil van Dijk missed training last week and may not be at 100% alongside the returning Joel Matip, who could have novice full-back Fabinho to shepherd to the left of him.

Leicester’s ability to capitalise

What does that all mean? It means that Jamie Vardy and co. may well smell blood. They gave the Reds a big fright at the King Power Stadium earlier in the season before narrowly losing 2-1. Since then they’ve taken points off Man City, Chelsea and Everton.

They managed just 17 shots combined in those three matches and conceded the bulk of percentage to the opposition each time. It shows that when they get it right, it works. Unfortunately those results have been superseded by defeats to Newport County, Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The hope is that this match is just the tonic to restart the season. They certainly have the creativity (James Maddison) and pace (Demarai Gray) to cause Liverpool problems from midfield. Add in Vardy’s record of 13 goals in 16 matches against the ‘big six’ and the Foxes have the weaponry required to dent the Reds’ armour.

Match Odds

The Coral traders still reckon Liverpool have what it takes to claim all three points at 2/9. They have Leicester out at 14/1 for a first Anfield win since 2000, with the draw at 5/1.

Mohamed Salah remains the likeliest goalscorer at 4/6, with 5/2 about the Egyptian Scoring First. The aforementioned Vardy is 5/2 for his eighth goal in six Premier League matches against the Reds, with set-piece specialist Maddison available at 5/1 Anytime.

Click here for the latest Liverpool v Leicester City odds.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.