NEWLY crowned world champions Liverpool will land in Leicester on Boxing Day to continue their quest to claim their first domestic league title in 30 years.
Jurgen Klopp's juggernaut was diverted to Qatar last week to contest the Club World Cup and fresh off the back of a triumphant trip to the far east Liverpool will lock horns with Leicester in a festive firecracker.
The Reds have been well-nigh flawless in their opening 17 top-flight fixtures – only Manchester United have taken points from the Premier League pacesetters thus far – however, a trip to the King Power arguably represents Liverpool's toughest test of the season to date.
Leicester fell to their first league defeat in 10 games last time out after suffering a 3-1 defeat at the Etihad against the reigning Premier League champions Manchester City.
Despite being turned over by the Citizens, Brendan Rodgers side continue to occupy second spot in the table, however, the Foxes grip on second place will come under serious threat over the festive period.
The Betting Odds
Liverpool edged the reverse fixture courtesy of a controversial and last-gasp 2-1 victory and a repeat of that outcome pays 21/20 (William Hill).
Leicester have yet to taste defeat at the King Power this season – the Foxes have won seven out of nine in their own manor and an eighth home success is priced at 13/5 (UniBet) – and the draw can be backed at the same price with Ladbrokes.
The Betting Angles
Leicester demonstrated their top-four credentials at Anfield and the Foxes remain in the hunt for Champions League qualification at the halfway stage of the season – despite only collecting one point from the last six on offer.
The King Power clubs bid to gatecrash the traditional top-six has been led by one of the most efficient forwards in Europe this season in the shape of free-scoring Jamie Vardy – the Foxes frontman has chalked up an awesome goal return of 17 goals in 18 Premier League fixtures.
Vardy is an enticing 5/4 (Bet 365) to make the net bulge against the Merseysiders, however, I'm going to turn my attention to another Leicester livewire, namely, James Maddison.
Maddison has flourished under Rodgers stewardship – the technically-gifted playmaker has racked up eight goals in 20 appearances across all competitions this term – one of which came in front of the Kop at Anfield.
Midfielder Maddison is an eye-catching 4/1 (Betfred) to hit the back of the net on home turf this time around, however, I'm more attracted to the 10/11 (William Hill) on offer for Maddison to have at least one shot on target.
The Foxes number 10 is very adept from free-kicks and he is capable of producing the spectacular from distance in open play – Maddison is averaging 1.5 shots on target per-game in the Premier League this season – all of which adds to the appeal of the 10/11 (William Hill) on offer for another Maddison shot on target.
Despite Maddison drawing Leicester level at Anfield, Klopp's star-studded side still managed to squeeze out a 2-1 success and I like the look of backing Liverpool to score two more goals at 17/20 (William Hill) in this Boxing Day blockbuster.
Indeed, the Reds congested calendar could begin to take its toll, however, Liverpool have mastered the art of winning with steel this season and in doing so the table toppers have still managed to score two or more goals in 15 of their 17 Premier League outings.
Liverpool's last league goal against Watford landed me a full house of winners and despite Leicester sharing the leanest defence in the division with Liverpool, the 17/20 (William Hill) on offer for the Reds to strike twice just looks a little too tempting to pass up on.
What's more, Leicester will be desperate to get back to winning ways and Rodgers side are unlikely to shut up shop in their own backyard, which in turn will increase the likelihood of a Christmas cracker being played out.
There is little value in backing both teams to score at 1/2 (PaddyPower) or over 2.5 match goals for that matter at 8/13 (Betfred) and therefore I'm going to utilize Bet 365's Bet Builder by combing Liverpool on the double chance, over one goal in the match, over five corners and at least one booking which pays 4/6 (Bet 365)
Over 1.5 match goals have been scored in 32 of the 35 leagues games these two teams have contested collectively this season, both sides are in the top seven in the corner kicks taken charts and a least one booking looks feasible in this fixture.
Furthermore, Liverpool have gone 34 leagues games without defeat – winning a whopping 25 of their last 26 top-flight fixtures – and with that in mind, as well as the fact that Liverpool have lost just one of their last 27 league games away from Anfield is why I'm backing the ruthless Reds on the double chance in the aforementioned Bet Builder in what should be a captivating contest at the King Power.
This English Premier League match between Leicester and Liverpool will be played on Dec 26, 2019 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Leicester vs Liverpool prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
