Prediction: Leicester City vs Liverpool

Verdict: Both teams to score

Best Odds: 4/7

Bookmaker: Bet365

Liverpool travel to the King Power Stadium on Tuesday to face Leicester City in the Carabao Cup (League Cup) third round tie as they attempt to put Premier League struggles behind them.

Leicester City

Without a win in their last three Premier League matches Leicester City are in the middle of a crisis. One win in five Premier League matches is less than what Foxes fans had hoped for at the beginning of the season. The records are hardly matching the Leicester City’s performances however. The Foxes suffered narrow defeats at Arsenal and Manchester United during which Craig Shakespeare’s men put in a pair of plucky performances. The sole 2-0 win over Brighton is far from being an effective barometer of Leicester City’s strength and it’s fair to say all of their games in the new season provided a distorted view. Leicester City will look to put their unfortunate records at the beginning of the 2017/18 season behind them, however, as they prepare for a Carabao Cup distraction on Tuesday. The Foxes will not have an easy task against Liverpool but will undoubtedly give their best to record a win that could provide Shakespeare’s men with a timely morale boost. Leicester and Liverpool have been alternating between wins and losses over the past five meetings and with the most recent trend it is not Leicester’s time to win.

Team News

Leicester City will be sweating over the availability of striker Jamie Vardy who is suffering from a groin injury and is likely to be replaced by Islam Slimani.

Foxes are finally done with Adrien Silva registration and the latest Leicester signing could be in line for a competitive debut against Liverpool.

Liverpool

Liverpool’s strong start to the season was followed by an indescribable drop in form which resulted in Jurgen Klopp’s men dialing to win any of their last three matches. The slump coincided with the closure of the summer transfer window during which Liverpool failed to strengthen their backline which came back to haunt them immediately. The 5-0 drubbing at Manchester City came as a direct result of Sadio Mane’s red card and Liverpool’s defensive frailties, whereas the back-to-back stalemates against Sevilla and Burnley once again showed that Reds will have difficult time fighting for glory this season with a defensive line this week. The only positive – if it can be called a positive – was the return of Philippe Coutinho. The Reds fended off Barcelona pressure to keep hold of the Brazilian who admitted he got tempted by the Catalans. The little magician returned to action against Burnley but failed to inspire his team to anything more than a frustrating draw. The League Cup duties come as a difficult moment for Liverpool but could be a good chance for Jurgen Klopp’s men to gain much-needed confidence ahead of the new challenges.  The Reds have lost only one of their last ten away matches and that is most certainly a number to remember ahead of the Tuesday’s match.

Team News

Philippe Coutinho is unlikely to feature against Leicester after asking to be withdrawn after 78 minutes into his Premier League debut last weekend whereas Sadio Mane is suspended.

Jurgen Klopp is expected to shake things up a bit and could choose to rest a couple of first-team players for the match.  

Key Factors to Consider

• Liverpool lost only 1 of their last 10 games on the road
• Leicester failed to keep a clean sheet this season
• Liverpool conceded 8 goals in last three matches
• Home side won four of the last five meetings between these two sides
• Both teams scored in last three matches between LCFC and LFC

Conclusion

We should expect to see a mixed deck of cards at both ends but a competitive display nonetheless. Both sides are under pressure and will use the League Cup clash to lift the spirits and gain much-needed confidence.

Verdict: Both teams to score

Best Odds: 4/7

Bookmaker: Bet365