After two and a half years of success with Leicester, Brendan Rodgers is finding life tough and a return to an old stomping ground is unlikely to provide any solace.
The Foxes face off against Liverpool at Anfield on Thursday in one of two games kicking off at 19:45 in the Premier League, with the other match taking place at Molineux, where Wolves host Arsenal.
Defensive Deficiencies Harming Leicester
Injuries and illness have not helped Rodgers’ side, but they have also lacked the same urgency and efficiency present since the Northern Irishman took over in February 2019.
Their run of two fifth-place finishes and an FA Cup looks set to end this season, with them currently 10th in the table and having seen their cup defence ended by losing 4-1 at Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
That defeat at the City Ground made it six away games in a row where they have conceded two or more goals. Having scored 12 times in that run, over 4.5 goals at Anfield could be an option at 39/20, especially when you consider the pair’s most recent meeting at the ground in December.
On that occasion, a League Cup quarter-final, Leicester were 3-1 up but spurned their advantage to eventually draw 3-3 and lose on penalties.
Another draw on the night is 11/2, while the Foxes will look to channel the experience of beating Liverpool 1-0 at the King Power Stadium in the league on December 28.
Reds Really Hitting Form
Liverpool have really kicked on since that defeat and go into this game on the back of four straight wins in all competitions.
They have also come out on the winning side in the pair’s last two league meetings on Merseyside and are just 4/17 to continue that run.
Key to that will be Diogo Jota, who has stood up in the dual absence of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, netting three times in his last three games. The Portuguese is 5/4 in the anytime market and will again lead the line.
With uncertainty over the roles that Salah and Mane will play after their exploits at the Africa Cup of Nations, Rodgers may feel his side can cause an upset as he returns to Anfield, where he was the coach for just over three seasons between 2012 and 2015.
That said, with his side having conceded an average of 1.85 goals in the league this season, it could be another tough evening.
Tight Times in WV1
Molineux hasn’t been the most entertaining ground this season but the cagey play the fans have seen has also helped Wolves.
Bruno Lage’s side have lost just one of their last seven in the league on their own patch, going down to a late Divock Origi goal against Liverpool in December, and are 5/2 to win on Thursday.
That looks a tempting price considering they won both meetings between this pair last season. Each of those ended with 2-1 scorelines, which comes in at 19/2, while their goals were scored by the Portuguese quartet of Pedro Neto, Daniel Podence, Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho.
Podence went closer than anyone as his side went down 1-0 in the FA Cup to Norwich on Saturday and, with four for the season, is 13/5 in the anytime market.
Clean Slate for Gunners
Arsenal sit two points above Wolves but after a great end to 2021, winning their last five fixtures, they are still to claim a victory in five outings this year.
Worryingly for Mikel Arteta, his previously free-flowing side have netted just once in 2022, failing to take advantage of 20 attempts at goal in their last outing, a 0-0 draw against Burnley.
That suggests that the 20/23 on ‘No’ in the Both Teams to Score market could prove to be handy.
After an intriguing end to the January window in which a number of big names left, including former captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, this could be a fresh start for Arteta’s side. They are 23/20 to win but the draw also appeals at 11/5.
*All odds correct at time of writing
