Leicester City defeated Liverpool on Tuesday in the EFL Cup on Tuesday and while Liverpool weren’t playing their first-string lineup, they should have won that game. They’ll get a chance for redemption on Saturday in the English Premier League when they head back to Leicester. It’s a bit of an odd situation as the two teams will square off for the second time in Leicester this week but will it be the same result?
What To Know About Liverpool
Liverpool sits eighth in the table after they drew 1-1 at home with Burnley as they got a goal from Mohamed Salah, but it was a game in which they dominated for the most part. They were also the better team on Tuesday in the EFL Cup, but they couldn’t find the back of the net in the first half. Then Philippe Coutinho was taken off at halftime and Liverpool promptly fell apart for a 2-0 loss, which lightens their fixture load, but it was another poor performance, especially at the back. In the league, Liverpool has allowed nine goals; only two teams have allowed more, and three others have allowed nine as well. Having Coutinho back is good for an offense that can score goals, but until Liverpool sorts themselves out at the back, they’re not going to go anywhere.
What To Know About Leicester City
Leicester got a penalty from Jamie Vardy in a 1-1 draw at Huddersfield Town in the league last weekend, and they’re 15th in the table now. They hung on against Liverpool in the EFL Cup, and then got goals from Islam Slimani and Shinji Okazaki in the second half to go to the next round, and it was certainly good for their confidence. Even better, they managed to get away with not playing Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, although Vardy wasn’t named to the team due to a groin injury. He has the pace to stretch Liverpool’s back line, so Leicester will be hoping that he is good to go for Saturday’s match. Even though Leicester got off to a slow start, they’re a good team, much better than 15th in the league, but they need to pick up some points and get away from the relegation zone.
Outlook
Liverpool is favored on the road at -118, while Leicester is rated at +300 and a draw comes in at +260. In seven matches since 2004, each team has won three and drawn one of their seven meetings, but at Leicester, Liverpool has won once and lost twice. Liverpool is definitely a different team on the road, where they’ve allowed eight of their nine goals against and have a loss and a draw in two games. Leicester has given up two goals in two home games, which they’ve won and drawn. Coutinho looked great in his 45 minutes in the first half and should start from the beginning of this match, but Liverpool has to put away their chances. On the other side, Mahrez should start for Leicester and their offense will go through him, and this is a game in which they have a good chance to steal all three points. Simply put, Liverpool’s back line is terrible and can’t seem to stop anyone.
EPL Betting: Leicester
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