Liverpool will go in search of a third successive Premier League victory when they welcome Leicester City to Anfield for Friday evening's showdown.

The Reds returned to top-flight duties with a 3-1 success away at Aston Villa on Boxing Day, while the visitors were put to the sword 3-0 by a rampant Newcastle United.

Match preview

To quote Merseyside native Paul McCartney, Liverpool fans were simply having a wonderful Christmastime, as the Reds returned from the World Cup break with all three points against Aston Villa and unexpectedly beat Manchester United to the signature of in-demand Netherlands attacker Cody Gakpo.

Amid the excitement of another high-profile attacking arrival in January, Liverpool did find themselves thanking their lucky stars on occasion against Aston Villa, but strikes from Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic rendered Ollie Watkins's response inconsequential.

Coming away from the West Midlands with all three points did not impact Liverpool's standing in the top flight, with the Reds still rooted to sixth place, but Tottenham Hotspur's draw against Brentford means that Jurgen Klopp's team are now just five points behind the fourth-placed Lilywhites, who have played a game more.

Rounding off a highly successful but also topsy-turvy 2022 with a sixth competitive win on the bounce is no less than the Anfield faithful expect this week, and only one of their last 31 Premier League home games has ended in defeat, although that did come at the hands of Leeds United only two months ago.

However, the Reds' top-flight scoring streak at Anfield does stand at a whopping 31 matches since a 1-0 loss to Fulham in March 2021, and not since their days in the second tier in 1961 have they suffered consecutive defeats in their final game of the calendar year, but there are no prizes for guessing which team made Liverpool's end to 2021 a miserable one.

Another day, another set-piece goal against Leicester City, who went into Boxing Day aiming to go toe-to-toe with a Newcastle United team sweeping aside almost everybody in their wake, but the King Power faithful consigned their team to defeat by the half-time whistle.

Chris Wood's penalty, Miguel Almiron's composed finish and Joelinton's header wrapped up the three points for the Magpies in the first half, as Brendan Rodgers's side reverted to a shadow of their former selves after conceding just one goal in seven games prior to the World Cup break.

A healthy four points still separates the 13th-placed Foxes from the drop zone, so the visitors to Anfield will enter 2023 above the dotted line no matter what transpires in this week's fixtures, but this calendar year will not be looked back on too fondly by those in blue.

On a brighter note, Leicester can certainly be encouraged by a string of wins away from home, recording four straight victories on the road in all competitions and keeping four clean sheets to boot, including Premier League successes at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton and West Ham United.

As ex-Liverpool boss Rodgers knows, though, Anfield is a different kettle of fish, and Liverpool eased to a 2-0 success over the Foxes in February after ending 2021 with a 1-0 loss to Leicester at the King Power, but the travelling fans will not be optimistic about lightning striking twice.

Team News

The imminent arrival of Gakpo comes at an ideal time for Liverpool, who are still without Arthur, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz for the long-term, while Roberto Firmino is also unlikely to recover from his calf injury just yet.

James Milner (hamstring) and Curtis Jones (shin) are also aiming for comebacks in Liverpool's meeting with Brentford on January 2, where Gakpo could supposedly be available if Liverpool can thrash out the details with PSV Eindhoven in time.

World Cup finalist Ibrahima Konate is now back in training for Liverpool and could be one of a couple of changes amid the packed festive schedule, with the fresh legs of Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho potentially also being utilised in the first XI.

Meanwhile, injury was added to insult for Leicester in their defeat to Newcastle, as Dennis Praet - who had just begun to force his way back into the fray - was caught in the back by the knee of Joelinton and had to come off after 17 minutes.

The Belgian will sit this one out alongside Ryan Bertrand, Ricardo Pereira. James Justin, Jonny Evans and James Maddison, whose troublesome knee injury is causing him grief once again.

Praet's injury should benefit Ayoze Perez or Marc Albrighton's chances of a return to the starting lineup, while Jamie Vardy and Wilfred Ndidi could also benefit from some welcome rotation for the visitors.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Thiago, Fabinho, Elliott; Salah, Nunez, Carvalho

Leicester City possible starting lineup:
Ward; Castagne, Amartey, Faes, Thomas; Ndidi, Tielemans; Perez, Dewsbury-Hall, Barnes; Vardy

We say: Liverpool 2-0 Leicester City

Leicester's staunch rearguard action from just before the World Cup counted for nought against a Newcastle side with a taste for goals, and a similar fate should befall Rodgers at his old stomping ground.

With the Anfield faithful no doubt in a buoyant mood given recent events on and off the field, Klopp's in-form side ought to use home advantage to their full advantage and end 2022 with another three points on the board.

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