Tuesday 19th September 2017 Kickoff:1945hrs Leicester City v Liverpool Football – England – League Cup All the teams participating in European competition have their first taste of the League Cup this midweek and one of the ties of the round takes place at the King Power Stadium where Leicester host Liverpool. Both sides drew their game in the league at the weekend and will be hoping for success on Tuesday as neither have found wins easy to come by in recent weeks.
Following the highs of winning the Premier League then reaching the quarter finals of the Champions League, anybody connected with Leicester could be forgiven for thinking that this season has been something of the mundane – but that may not be a bad thing. The Foxes have ridden crest of a wave over the last couple of years but this campaign is about getting back to the basics which is cementing their place in the league and, like most clubs, hoping for a run in one of the domestic cup competitions. They were dealt a tricky tie in the last round when coming up against Sheffield United who are particularly strong at home. Despite making a host of changes, Craig Shakespeare’s men managed to wear down the Championship out in the second half, running out 4-1 winners. The manager may opt to do something similar for this one even though they face Premier League opposition, as the games come thick and fast. Saturday’s draw away to Huddersfield did at least halt their run of two successive defeats, albeit those came against Manchester United and Chelsea.
It has been a really frustrating week for Liverpool who have drawn at home to both Sevilla in the Champions League and then Burnley on Saturday in the Premier League. Anytime I preview a game involving Jurgen Klopp’s men I feel I’m constantly repeating myself by the fact I’m obliged to outline their failings. They continue to make so many good attacking opportunities but are nowhere near clinical enough, whilst it appears a collection of individual mistakes in crucial situations prevent them from winning games where they have been dominant. The fact remains they have only lost one game this season (5-0 at Manchester City) and the nature of their games suggests that they will start turning some of these draws into wins – which is a must if they are to finish in the top four again. Nevertheless, they are losing valuable ground on the teams above them and you can sense the frustration growing amongst the staff, players and supporters. It’s also cleaer that their style of play seems to bring more rewards when playing away from home so it could be a blessing they received an away draw in this particular competition.
Leicester City v Liverpool Betting Tip
There’s no getting away from the fact that this competitions is not seen as a priority for most Premier League managers, at least until the latter stages. Most are willing to take their chances by fielding shadow teams and if it takes them to the semi-finals stage they then begin to take it more seriously. I see that being the case on Tuesday with both managers set to make a number of changes from Saturday’s game, especially as it’s only a three day turnaround. That makes it a bit more tricky in identifying a selection but those changes tend to impact the defensive structures more than attacking, which should ensure a more open an free flowing game of football.
Whatever the personnel is it’s unlikely the style will change for either and we can expect Liverpool to take the game to their hosts from the off. Six of Liverpool’s eight games this season have ended with three or more goals scored whilst four of Leicester’s six matches have seen both teams scoring. It’s that combined bet which looks a good play in this one.
Both teams to score and Over 2.5 goals 19/20 @ Coral
