It is a little over a year since an outrageous swing of Jamie Vardy’s right boot sent the ball sailing high over Simon Mignolet and it started to dawn that, just possibly, Leicester could actually win the Premier League title. Claudio Ranieri’s exit has given this match a new subplot but the central issue has not changed. The champions are in the bottom three and badly need a victory.
Leicester City
Subs from Zieler, Hamer, Amartey, Okazaki, Mendy, Gray, Chilwell, Kapustka, King, Wasilewski, Slimani, Ulloa
Doubtful Slimani (groin), Ulloa (thigh)
Injured Wague (shoulder, unknown)
Suspended None
Form DLLLLL
Discipline Y49 R1
Leading scorers Slimani, Vardy 5
Liverpool
Subs from Karius, Manninger, Sturridge, Can, Origi, Klavan, Moreno, Stewart, Randall, Alexander-Arnold, Woodburn, Ojo, Wilson, Gomez
Doubtful Lovren (knee), Sturridge (virus)
Injured Ejaria (ankle, Mar), Ings (knee, May), Grujic (hamstring, unknown)
Suspended None
Form DDLDLW
Discipline Y40 R0
Leading scorer Mané 11
Team news
Leicester's record signing Islam Slimani will be assessed ahead of the visit of the match. The striker has been struggling with a groin injury, but did travel to Spain for their Champions League defeat at Sevilla and has trained this week.
The Foxes will also assess Leonardo Ulloa, who has been out with a thigh problem.
Liverpool centre-back Dejan Lovren remains a doubt with a knee injury.
The Croat, who travelled to Germany to see a specialist this week, has missed the last two matches and only started light training on Friday.
Striker Daniel Sturridge is also a doubt as he is still suffering the effects of a virus which forced him to return home early from the club's training camp in Spain last week.
Leicester City
Subs from Zieler, Hamer, Amartey, Okazaki, Mendy, Gray, Chilwell, Kapustka, King, Wasilewski, Slimani, Ulloa
Doubtful Slimani (groin), Ulloa (thigh)
Injured Wague (shoulder, unknown)
Suspended None
Form DLLLLL
Discipline Y49 R1
Leading scorers Slimani, Vardy 5
Liverpool
Subs from Karius, Manninger, Sturridge, Can, Origi, Klavan, Moreno, Stewart, Randall, Alexander-Arnold, Woodburn, Ojo, Wilson, Gomez
Doubtful Lovren (knee), Sturridge (virus)
Injured Ejaria (ankle, Mar), Ings (knee, May), Grujic (hamstring, unknown)
Suspended None
Form DDLDLW
Discipline Y40 R0
Leading scorer Mané 11
Team news
Leicester's record signing Islam Slimani will be assessed ahead of the visit of the match. The striker has been struggling with a groin injury, but did travel to Spain for their Champions League defeat at Sevilla and has trained this week.
The Foxes will also assess Leonardo Ulloa, who has been out with a thigh problem.
Liverpool centre-back Dejan Lovren remains a doubt with a knee injury.
The Croat, who travelled to Germany to see a specialist this week, has missed the last two matches and only started light training on Friday.
Striker Daniel Sturridge is also a doubt as he is still suffering the effects of a virus which forced him to return home early from the club's training camp in Spain last week.
Match stats
Leicester won this exact fixture last season thanks to two goals from Jamie Vardy (2-0). They've not won back-to-back home league games against Liverpool since August 1972.
The Reds won the previous encounter 4-1 in September, but they haven't beaten Leicester home and away in the same season since 2001-02.
The Foxes' last three Premier League goals against Liverpool have all been scored by Jamie Vardy. He's the only Leicester player to score against Liverpool at the King Power Stadium.
However, Vardy has scored in just one of his last 18 Premier League games (a hat-trick v Manchester City in December).
Liverpool have won more away games against reigning Premier League champions than any other side (8), including at Stamford Bridge in 2015-16. The Reds are also the only side to have done so in consecutive seasons (2000-01 and 2001-02 vs Man Utd).
Leicester could become the first reigning top-flight champion to lose 15 league games within a season since Leeds United in 1992/93.
The Foxes have lost their last five league games - the only other reigning top-flight champion to lose six on the bounce are Everton in 1928/29 (final six games of the season).
Merson's prediction
I thought Leicester had a good result during the week in the Champions League, to come away from Sevilla with a 2-1 score was decent, so fair play to them and they are in the tie but it was still a loss. Liverpool need to win and Leicester are suffering from a lack of confidence.
Liverpool are quite open and will travel to the King Power and have a go. They will highlight this game and draws are not good really so they will be going forward, leave themselves open and I expect Leicester to score.
Betting
Liverpool are Bet's 8/13 favourites for the victory, with Leicester priced at 17/4, while the draw is a 3/1 chance. The Reds were cut to 8/13 to secure a top-four finish following their 2-0 victory over Tottenham, while Claudio Ranieri's men headed into the weekend as 7/4 shots to suffer relegation. Roberto Firmino heads the first goalscorer betting at 9/2, while Islam Slimani is considered the visitors' main threat at 8/1, despite Jamie Vardy's (17/2) midweek heroics.
