Prediction: Liverpool vs Leeds United

Verdict: Darwin Nunez scores

Best odds: 19/20

Bookmaker: Unibet

Liverpool are set to play host to Leeds United at Anfield on Saturday evening, in what will be a part of round 13 of the Premier League season, though it will actually be game No. 12 for these teams.

Liverpool

Liverpool have been one of the most difficult teams to read ahead of a game this term. It’s probably fair to say that no other team on the planet could beat Manchester City and lose to Nottingham Forest within a week.

The last six matches have been a roller coaster for the Anfield faithful – a 3-2 defeat away to Arsenal, a 1-7 win away to Rangers in the Champions League, a 1-0 win over Manchester City at home, a 1-0 win over West Ham also at home, a 1-0 defeat away to Nottingham Forest, and eventually, a comprehensive 0-3 triumph over Ajax in Amsterdam which sealed their place in the round of 16 of UEFA’s elite club competition.

Jurgen Klopp’s team definitely need to start showing consistency in their performances and results, lest they fail to qualify for next season’s Champions League altogether. At the moment, they are in eighth place in the Premier League table with 16 points from 11 games – not something they’ll be happy about, of course.

Team News

Klopp chose a 4-4-2 diamond shape in Amsterdam and it worked really well. In the absence of Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota, both of whom predominantly play on the left wing, it probably made sense to choose a system that would have the attacking players stay narrow and attack the goal directly.

Be that as it may, Diaz and Jota remain on the sidelines, as do defender Joel Matip, midfielders Naby Keita and Arthur Melo. Captain Jordan Henderson, who played very well on the left of the midfield in Amsterdam, needs late assessment before a decision on his involvement is made, and if he isn’t deemed fit, his place will likely be taken by Thiago Alcantara, freshly recovered from an ear infection. Defender Ibrahima Konate is also back in the squad.

Leeds United

The season certainly hasn’t gone well for Liverpool, but it hasn’t exactly been a picnic for Leeds either. Unlike Klopp, who has built up plenty of credit with his employers and fans down the years, Leeds boss Jesse Marsch has found himself under strong pressure to turn the tide. His team are now inside the relegation zone, sitting 18th with nine points, the same tally as Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest, the two teams sitting below.

Leeds only managed to earn one point from their last six matches, which include a 5-2 defeat away to Brentford, a goalless draw at home against Aston Villa, a 2-1 defeat away to Crystal Palace, a 0-1 defeat at home to Arsenal, a 2-0 defeat away to Leicester City, and a 2-3 defeat at home against Fulham.

Marsch recently insisted that he and the club still have faith in their players, but it obviously remains to be seen how much faith the club actually have in him being able to stop the rot.

Team News

Leeds’ versatility embodiment Stuart Dallas is unavailable for the Anfield trip through injury, as is midfielder Adam Forshaw. Nobody else has been ruled out, but the list of those in doubt is quite long: left-back Leo Hjelde, strikers Rodrigo Moreno and Joe Gelhardt, winger Luis Sinisterra, midfielder Tyler Adams and centre-back Liam Cooper.

Marsch confirmed that all these players would be under close observation until the last moment, and only then with a decision be made on each.

Conclusion

Liverpool are once again the favourites to win, and let’s face it, there are few teams in the world that would go to Anfield with any kind of confidence, regardless of the Merseysiders’ questionable form. They are a sleeping lion, and you never know when they’re going to wake up.

However, given the Nottingham Forest example last week, betting on a home win could prove risky, and the odds on it are extremely short.

But if he starts, Darwin Nunez, whose goal involvement per minutes played this season is surprisingly good given how much criticism has been flung his way, is likely to find the back of the net again.

Verdict: Darwin Nunez scores

Best odds: 19/20

Bookmaker: Unibet