Liverpool almost at full strength: Now Leicester must deal with the big boys

Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool, for the umpteenth time, are welcoming back a handful of first-team players — but this time against Leicester City who have they just beaten — will it be a cold dish of revenge served up by the Foxes or, another sweet reminder of what the Reds can do at near or full strength?

The Liverpool boss confirmed in his pre-Leicester City press conference that the lot of Thiago Alcantara, Fabinho, Curtis Jones and Virgil van Dijk are all set to be available for their clash later this evening.

This is a massive boost for the Reds, who have all the momentum with them after their dramatic meeting in the Carabao Cup Quarter-Finals last week where Anfield rocked the nation with yet another masterclass comeback against former manager Brendan Rodgers and his boys.

Yes, the fixture is scheduled for the Kind Power, however, between the Anfield disappointment and Tuesday’s Matchday 20 encounter, there was a goal-laden defeat endured by the Foxes, and this was by the hands of the ruthless Manchester City.

Rodgers men have been bruised and battered and lack the confidence ahead of the match, making the return of the aforementioned Reds even more unwelcoming for the home side.

Added to Leicester City’s worries

It is still unclear whether Leicester’s all-time top scorer will feature or not, having been left sat on the bench for the Man City thriller.

Both the English striker, who loves scoring against Liverpool and the midfield general, Wilfred Ndidi, did not feature in their Boxing Day loss — the manager confirming the high risk to play them with both suffering from tightness at the time.

"Brendan Rodgers is hopeful that Jamie Vardy will return to spearhead the Leicester City attack at home to Liverpool on Tuesday – and explained why the striker was left on the bench for his side’s defeat at Manchester City on Boxing Day.dy, along with key midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, were unused substitutes for Leicester as they lost a thrilling game to City 6-3 at the Etihad. (Via: liverpoolecho.co.uk)"

The last King Power victory over Liverpool should give them some belief

We can believe this, but we all know the last meeting at this venue saw an Ozan Kabak on loan partnered up with captain Jordan Henderson at centre back. Klopp is about to enter the stadium with an almost fully-fit squad.

Besides last season’s 3-1 victory over the Reds, the last time the home side took any points from this fixture was back in a 1-1 draw, which was in January 2019.

Before that and since then, it’s been all about Liverpool and their dominance in this fixture. Adding to their confidence on their travels: Klopp’s men are somewhat well-rested, having not played on Boxing Day due to their match against Leeds United being postponed.

I Hope Leicester City is prepping for what’s coming after Man City pulled away by another three points at the summit, with their challengers from Anfield bragging a game in hand.

It could get very ugly very quickly but a Vardy boost could do the trick for the Foxes to ti the balance in their favour.

What is your score prediction for Leicester City vs Liverpool?