Part One by Gary Fulcher.
After four consecutive away games Liverpool players finally get to run out at Anfield for the first time this season, with the visit of champions Leicester City for Saturday’s late kick off: 5.30pm kick off UK time. It is a historic occasion for the Reds with the official opening of the main stand bringing the capacity at Anfield to 54,000 with the addition of an extra 8,500 seats, making the main stand one of the largest all seater single stands in Europe.
Leicester of course – like so many times in the past (see Blast from the Past below) – will be hoping to ruin the occasion for Liverpool by recording a first win at Anfield since May 2000. The Foxes opened their title defence with a 1-2 defeat at Hull City, followed by a 0-0 draw at home to Arsenal and a 2-1 home win over Swansea City before the international break.
Claudio Ranieri’s side kick off their Champions League campaign just four days after their visit to Anfield so it will be fascinating to see how the Foxes cope this season with the addition of continental action, more games, increased travel and less recovery time.
Like Leicester, Liverpool also have four points from their opening three games, with a 4-3 victory at Arsenal followed by a 0-2 loss at Burnley and a 1-1 draw at Spurs. The visit of Leicester on Saturday will mean the Reds will have alreadt faced last season’s top three, with two of those games away from Anfield. The Reds may not have started the season all guns blazing but faced with three consecutive away games – two of them against last season’s 2nd and 3rd best teams in the league – four points from nine needs to be viewed in the correct context.
Liverpool’s league record against Leicester
| Total | Home | Away |
| Played: 92 | Played: 46 | Played: 46 |
| Won: 38 | Won: 25 | Won: 13 |
| Drawn:20 | Drawn: 10 | Drawn: 10 |
| Lost: 34 | Lost: 11 | Lost: 23 |
| Goals scored: 149 | Goals scored: 86 | Goals scored: 63 |
| Goals against: 126 | Goals against: 55 | Goals against: 71 |
Match Officials
Referee: Craig Pawson
Assistants: H Lennard, A Holmes
Fourth official: L Mason
SQUADS
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Liverpool players doubtful or missing through injury:
| R Klavan | Knee Injury | September 10, 2016 | ||
| E Can | Ankle Injury | September 10, 2016 | ||
| S Ojo | Back Injury | September 16, 2016 | ||
| L Karius | Broken Hand | September 24, 2016 | ||
| J Gomez | Calf/Shin Injury | No Return Date | ||
| M Sakho | Calf/Shin Injury | September 10, 2016 |
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Leicester players doubtful or missing through injury:
| K Schmeichel | Inguinal Hernia | September 10, 2016 | ||
| N Mendy | Ankle Injury | September 10, 2016 | ||
| J Schlupp | Muscle Strain | September 10, 2016 |
The rest of this match preview is for subscribers only.
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