Leeds United vs Liverpool. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats and more

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A club fighting to escape relegation and a club wanting to play in Eurocups. Who has the better motivation and will to get a step closer to their goal?

Leeds United FC will host Liverpool FC in the English Premier League 31st-tour match at Elland Road Stadium. The fixture will take place on Tuesday, April 18, beginning at 00:30 IST.

What can we expect this Tuesday night? Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.

Leeds United News & Current Form:

In the last season, the team escaped relegation, finishing last before the relegation zone to the Championship. In the current EPL season the situation has not changed – the team is still floundering at the bottom of the table, ahead of Everton FC and Nottingham Forest FC. West Ham United FC and AFC Bournemouth are positioned ahead of today’s hosts.

To rectify the situation, Leeds went through significant changes. The position of the head coach of the club was taken by the ex-coach of FC Rubin, Javi Gracia. The appointment of an experienced Spanish specialist, as well as the motivation in the form of the struggle for survival accompanied the qualitative changes and improved results.

Leeds United FC squad ahead of the game with Crystal  Palace FC

Under Gracia, performance improved, as did enthusiasm and character. In the meeting with Nottingham Forest, the Whites conceded a quick goal, but then quickly pulled themselves together and got an important win. The crazy support from the Elland Road home crowd helped them pull off the comeback (2 – 1).

As a result, Leeds rose to 16th place in the EPL standings. Of course, the coach still has a lot of work ahead of him. He has some serious problems to solve on the defensive end. Despite the efforts of the talented young goalkeeper Illan Meslier, White conceded as many as 54 goals in 30 rounds. Only Bournemouth’s number is higher (57). And they managed to hit the opponents’ goal 39 times.

The team is out of other tournaments, so is focused solely on maintaining its position in the top division of England. The team lost the last round at home to Crystal Palace FC with a score of 1 – 5, suffering its biggest defeat in the current championship. 

Having taken the lead midway through the first half, the home side not only failed to maintain their advantage but also missed five unanswered scoring chances, four of which came in the second half. At the same time, this is the 2nd time this season that the players conceded five goals.

Also, note that the main share of points in the current championship the team earned on the home field – 20 out of 29. At the same time Leeds did not concede in 5 of the 7 previous home meetings in the EPL (2 wins, 3 draws). 

They beat Southampton FC (1 – 0), Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (4 – 2) and Nottingham Forest. The Peacocks also drew with Brighton & Hove Albion FC  (2 – 2). They lost to Chelsea FC (0 – 1), leading Arsenal FC (1 – 4) and Crystal Palace.

The fight for survival is still ahead and Leeds need to push hard to avoid a nervous ending.  At the same time, the team’s calendar is very difficult: in addition to the match against Liverpool, Gracia’s team will play Manchester City FC, Newcastle United FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC. In these matches, it will be very difficult, and it is necessary to cling to the points in every encounter.

The team is counting on its leading scorer Rodrigo Moreno. The Spaniard scored 11 goals in the league, which is almost a third of the goals scored by the entire team. There is also a big bet on Weston McKenney on loan from Juventus FC. The American could even stay next season at Leeds, but the team needs to stay in the Premier League for that to happen.

Talking about absentees, Stuart Dallas and Tyler Adams are still recovering from their thigh injuries and won’t be considered for Leeds’ upcoming matches. However, Maximilian Wober has trained this week and will have an opportunity to demonstrate his fitness.

Gracia, the coach, mentioned that a few members of his team are dealing with physical issues. Although he didn’t provide any specifics, changes to the squad are anticipated after last weekend’s terrible performance. Wilfried Gnonto is expected to return to the forward line, and Gracia has a variety of viable options, including Rasmus Kristensen, Liam Cooper, and Rodrigo.

Goalkeeper Illan Mellier plans to leave Leeds this summer, even if the Elland Road club avoids relegation from the Premier League. Despite being under contract until 2026, Mellier is determined to leave. Tottenham and Manchester United FC were previously interested in Mellier, but Chelsea are said to be the main contender for the 23-year-old Frenchman. The club’s management are set to demand £40m for their star, but the price could be lower if the Whites are relegated to the Championship.

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Liverpool News & Current Form:

The Merseysiders still have an opportunity to salvage their failing season. The team from Liverpool currently sits eighth in the standings. The Reds have 44 points and mathematically they can still climb into the UEFA Champions League zone. Recently, they finished their fight in the current UCL, losing on the sum of the two meetings to CF Real Madrid, and the team has been out of the Cups for a long time.

Liverpool are now 12 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United. Of course, it is difficult to make up for such a gap, but it is realistic. We need to take three points in each match. Fifth-placed Tottenham are nine points away and have two games to spare.

Liverpool have not won their last four EPL matches. The Merseysideiders have drawn with Arsenal (2 – 2) and Chelsea (0 – 0), but lost to Manchester City (1 – 4) and Bournemouth (0 – 1). The last win was back on March 5, when they beat Manchester United (7 – 0).

Charges of Jurgen Klopp have scored 50 goals this English championship season, 13 of which were netted by Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian picked up his form well during the final part of the season. But in defense the Merseyside often lacked fortitude, conceding 35 times.

And the Reds have missed 24 of them on the road. Klopp’s charges are very vulnerable away this season. In 15 games, they have won only three victories and drawn four times. The rest are defeats. 

Last weekend, Liverpool took part in the main battle of the English tour, taking home the league leader in the form of the capital’s Arsenal. The meeting between the soccer titans lived up to expectations. 

Having failed to score in the opening stages of the match, and conceding twice to the Gunners, the hosts were reminded of their fans and looked like last year’s heroes. Merseyside began to act assertively and aggressively, restored the balance and could even win, but it did not work: 2 – 2. that it was the fifth consecutive match without a victory.

Mohamed Salah – all-time leading scorer for Liverpool FC in the English Premier League

Speaking of the upcoming match, the Reds have not lost in seven visits to Elland Road since that November 2000 defeat, which may be the only positive outlook they bring with them.

Because of a disappointing season, the Merseysideiders could be in for a monumental purge in the summer as club bosses plan to part ways with 11 players and a stint as coach, Jurgen Klopp. In the meantime, the team have to make do with not the worst of the old guard, although the European Cup zone is sailing further and further away from the vice-champion – the distance to the coveted fifth place has increased to nine point steps.

However, Klopp is hindered by instability. Perhaps the German specialist will help him overcome it in the summer transfers. According to some reports, Liverpool is interested in acquiring SSC Napoli striker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and FC Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch.

Also, many thought that Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund could go to England, but the club’s management considered 130 million euros too much for one player.

The highly anticipated comeback of Luis Diaz from a severe knee injury is set to take place during Monday’s game, although he is currently waiting for a place on the bench. However, Stefan Bajcetic (adductor), Naby Keita (muscle), and Calvin Ramsay (knee) are all in the medical room and unavailable.

Leeds United form guide: L-D-W-L-W-L

Liverpool form guide: W-L-L-L-D-D

Leeds United vs Liverpool Head-To-Head Record: 

Leeds UnitedDrawLiverpool
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  • November 29, 2016: Liverpool 2 – 0 Leeds United (League Cup);
  • September 12, 2020: Liverpool 4 – 3 Leeds United (Premier League);
  • April 19, 2021: Leeds United 1 – 1 Liverpool (Premier League);
  • September 12, 2021: Leeds United 0 – 3 Liverpool (Premier League);
  • February 23, 2022: Liverpool 6 – 0 Leeds United (Premier League);
  • October 29, 2022:: Liverpool 1 – 2 Leeds United (Premier League).

Leeds United vs Liverpool Predicted XI:

Leeds United possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Meslier; Kristensen, Koch, Cooper, Firpo; McKennie, Roca; Harrison, Rodrigo, Gnonto; Bamford.

Liverpool possible starting lineup (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Gakpo, Nunez.

Statistical preview of the match Leeds United vs Liverpool:

  • Leeds’ First XI average age is 25.4 yrs.
  • Liverpool’s First XI average age is 28.5 yrs.
  • Liverpool are unbeaten in 12 of their last 14 games against this opponent.
  • Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 5 games.
  • Liverpool are scoring an average of 0.60 goals per game in their last 5 games.
  • Liverpool conceded an average of 1.60 goals per game in their last 5 games.
  • Leeds are scoring an average of 2.00 goals per game in their last 5 games.
  • Leeds are conceding an average of 2.80 goals per game in their last 5 games.
  • The Peacocks’ top scorers: Rodrigo Moreno (13+2), Jack Harrison (5+9), and Patrick Bamford (5+4).
  • The Reds’ top scorers: Mohamed Salah (24+11), Darwin Nunez (14+4), and Roberto Firmino (11+5).

What has been said before the match:

Coach of Leeds Javi Gracia spoke about his team and the opponents:

“We know how difficult it will be in the next game against Liverpool. They are a very good team. As I said before, at this moment we have no time to think about whether it is better or worse to play against this team or other.”

“We have to play, give our best and try to get the points. What I can tell you is that all of them have done hard work this week and tried to pay attention to the little details, because after all these things make the difference.”

“My players worked very well this week and I am sure we will learn from our mistakes. We got a good result in the first game [a 2-1 win at Anfield in October], but now everything changes.”

“We have to be ready for another game. Of course, for the mentality of the players it is good [the previous win]. They know they were able to get a good result there, but all of them know to be ready for a very tough game.”

“If we are faithful with our plans, we will soon have many chances to achieve our target at the end of the season. That is all we are concerned about – to achieve our target at the end of the season. It’s not about where we are today or tomorrow; in a better position or worse.”

The Reds’ boss Jurgen Klopp ahead of the Tuesday clash:

“I expect a big battle from the match against Leeds. Especially considering the situation they’re in. Losses like the 1 – 5 to Crystal Palace certainly happen. They try everything. In fact, I think they’re in pretty good shape, but they got a real knockout in that match. Because the wizard Roy Hodgson is back, and Palace is a very strong team anyway. You could see that in the way they acted on the counterattack and the way they played soccer in general.”

“So it was a tough match, in which a lot of people probably bet on Leeds. But when you see Palace play, you wonder: Why are they in this part of the table? So we expect Leeds to come to the match with us prepared, expect plenty of fight and a proper atmosphere.”

“It’s going to be a tough match, but now we need to build back on two good games in our performance and build on some good moments. I especially liked our second half against Arsenal. That’s what we’ll try to do.”

Leeds United vs Liverpool Prediction:

Leeds have benefited from the change of head coach with a noticeable improvement in their position in the standings. The Yorkshire side still can’t breathe easy, though – only two points from the relegation zone, with one game to spare. Playing at home gives the Whites an extra advantage. It is not impossible that they can beat an unstable Liverpool, who have serious problems with their away trips. At the same time, the Peacocks are more likely to stumble upon just a defeat. After all, they have one of the most unreliable defences in the EPL.

Meanwhile, the Merseysiders are scoring a lot and regularly. Plus they have more resources, which translates into an overall class superiority. The season is already a failure for Jurgen Klopp and Co, but the Merseysiders are trying to end it on a major note by getting into the UCL 23/24 – which is crucial for the Reds. Therefore, at the Elland Road ground, we expect a goal-fest with plenty of chances realized by the opponents. LFC will leave the pitch with at least one point under the belt.

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Parimatch News staff prediction:

We say: Liverpool will not lose and the match total will be over 2.5 – Yes.

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