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Liverpool have rebuilt Fortress Anfield on the road

By Paul Landwehr

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 03: Jurgen Klopp, Manager of Liverpool issues instructions to his team during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield on February 03, 2021 in Liverpool, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Phil Noble - Pool/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 03: Jurgen Klopp, Manager of Liverpool issues instructions to his team during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield on February 03, 2021 in Liverpool, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Phil Noble - Pool/Getty Images) /
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Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool travel to King Power stadium on Saturday to face Brendan Rogers and his Leicester City Foxes.

The Reds have had a rocky start to the year, dropping points to front runners Manchester City in their last outing a week ago at Anfield.

Klopp’s team have played better on the road than at fortress Anfield recently, losing their last three home ties in a row. After setting a club record for matches without a loss (68), before the three match drop in form, with consecutive losses to Burnley, Brighton and City.

For Liverpool, away is the new home

So if recent away form holds with Liverpool’s inconsistent pattern these past two months, they could be expected to give a much needed winning performance at King Power. Rodgers’ Foxes sit in third currently on 43 points, three points ahead of the Reds.

At this point in a topsy turvy season for Klopp and the lads thus far, the past form guides can be thrown out here as it is unpredictable how Liverpool will perform from one week to the next. After the crushing loss to City at Anfield, the Reds find themselves 10 points adrift of the top and are barely holding on to fourth position in the table, with Chelsea and West Ham just a point off the pace for the coveted top four spots.

Liverpool have the return from injury of Naby Keita, and a possible return of Diogo Jota to add to the midfield choices for the gaffer. The Reds midfield have been less proficient and shown a lack of creativity since Fabinho and Jordan Henderson have been co-opted to centre-back, where the Reds have suffered the loss through injury to their first choice center halves and recurring injury issues with Joel Matip.

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Liverpool need more midfield options

This has caused some serious issues with consistency and Liverpool’s usual stalwart counter pressing in the midfield with the absence of Fabinho and Henderson. The return of Keita and possibly Jota are much needed support for Gini Wijnaldum, Thiago, Curtis Jones, Xherdan Shaqiri and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who have been enlisted to provide cover for the hard hit Reds offensive thrust and engine room.

The Reds have won their only ties of the calendar year thus far in London against Spurs and Hammers respectively. Another road win against the Foxes on Saturday would put Liverpool in a tie for third place with Leicester where the Reds hold an edge by goal difference. J

Klopp has fared pretty well against Leicester in recent meetings and have beaten Rogers at King Power last campaign.

Liverpool are desperate for points here and will be seeking to right the ship by returning to winning ways at Leicester, keeping in the hunt at the top and finding some quick solutions to their precipitous drop in form since mid December. With the Champions League away tie with Leipzig in Budapest on Tuesday looming, Klopp will want to see a heady and solid outing here.

The recently acquired center halves Ben Davies and Ozan Kabak could see action in this tie here, either one or both featuring depending on how Jurgen decides to line up against the Foxes. I look for Fabinho to stay in the defensive back line and either Davies or Kabak pairing with him which allows Klopp to put Hendo back in the midfield.

The Reds have had some difficulty thus far in 2021 scoring goals from the run of play and will need to get their finishing proficiency in high gear bringing their shooting boots out of moth balls if they intend to collect all three points on Saturday.

It is anybody’s guess how this one will shake out, but the gaffer and the lads will surely be looking to go into their CL tie on the continent next week on a positive high note, interrupting their continued drop in form since the beginning of the year.

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