Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for the Premier League clash between leaders Leicester City and Liverpool at the King Power Stadium. No fewer than 13 points separate these two sides in the table ahead of this midweek match, with Leicester maintaining their stunning title charge and Liverpool still searching for a good run of form that could haul them back into top-four contention. Victory tonight would be a big step in the right direction for each of those goals, so there is plenty at stake here. First things first, though, let's take a look at the teams...

LEICESTER STARTING XI: Schmeichel; Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs; Mahrez, Kante, Drinkwater, Albrighton; Okazaki, Vardy

LEICESTER SUBS: King, Gray, Ulloa, Dyer, Wasilewski, Chilwell, Schwarzer

LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Mignolet; Clyne, Lovren, Sakho, Moreno; Can, Henderson, Lucas; Lallana, Milner, Firmino

LIVERPOOL SUBS: Ward, Toure, Benteke, Allen, Ibe, Flanagan, Teixeira

What can we make of those two sides, then? Well, starting with the hosts there are no surprises from Claudio Ranieri as he goes for the starting XI which has become his first choice over the course of the season. There are no changes from the team that beat Stoke last time out, with Leicester's only current injury worry surrounding Schlupp. He once again misses out entirely today, but is nearing a return.

Whether he would force his way back into the team or not is another question. Leicester, as a whole team, have performance superbly this season and, even though their defensive record has not been the best, that back four is as much a part of their success at the attackers. They made the interesting decision to allow De Laet to leave on deadline day, however, so should something happen to Simpson then it will be interesting to see how they cope with that.

Of course, the headlines have belonged to Leicester's attackers so far this season. Jamie Vardy is perhaps responsible for more than anyone, and the England international was finally on the scoresheet again against Stoke City after a bit of a drought had followed his remarkable record-breaking goalscoring run. He is joined up top by Okazaki, who limped off against Stoke and watched as Ulloa completed the scoring. It is Okazaki who gets the bod once again tonight, though.

Vardy's main partner in crime this season has been Riyad Mahrez, though. He too has suffered a relative dip in form lately compared to the high levels he was setting over the first half of the campaign, but there is no doubt that he has been one of the standout performers in the entire division so far. He has had a direct hand in more goals than any other player in the top flight, scoring 13 and assisting a further eight to bring his overall tally to 21 goals.

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While Leicester are unchanged, the same certainly can't be said of Liverpool. Klopp made 10 changes to his lineup for the FA Cup match with West Ham at the weekend, and many first-team players return to the fold tonight. Only three players - Mignolet, Clyne and Lovren - retain their place from that goalless draw with the Hammers as the likes of Benteke, Allen and Ibe all drop back to the Liverpool bench.

Alberto Moreno is the only new face in the back four, with Clyne and Lovren both having made their respective returns from injury against West Ham and coming through the game unscathed. Skrtel remains sidelined but, along with Sturridge, Coutinho and Origi, is expected to return to training soon, with the fit-again Jon Flanagan is also on the bench, so Clyne and Lovren find their places in the team under a bit of pressure now. They will be keen to impress Klopp in the coming weeks as a result.

It is all change further up the field, however, as Klopp resorts to what has become his preferred midfield and forward combinations. Can, Lucas and Henderson return in the middle of the park, with the latter having sat out at the weekend in order to rest his persistent heel problem. How long that problem will take to go away is about as easy as predicting when Sturridge will next be fully fit, but he seems to be able to manage it, and having the captain out there certainly seems to give the rest of the team a boost.

His energy is perfectly suited to Klopp's style of play, and the same can be said of Milner, who also returns to the starting XI tonight. His will play in a wide role, with Lallana on the opposite flank and Firmino through the middle in a false nine role. The Brazilian, once again preferred to the misfiring Benteke, has scored four goals in his last three matches for Liverpool having only managed one in the 24 prior to that, and finally seems to be finding his feet on Merseyside.

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Firmino has had a tendency to save his best performances for the big games, and while it may not have been the case before the season began, tonight certainly constitutes as a big game now. Leicester's form over the season has seen to that, with the Foxes surprising everyone by not only rising to the top of the Premier League table, but sustaining that challenge and establishing them as genuine contenders to become the most unlikely Premier League champions in history.

Almost every week it seems to be said that a test of Leicester's title credentials is coming up, and that they might get found out. They have passed every test so far, but the next three matches in particular will really tell us whether they have what it takes to lift the title. Tonight's match sees them come up against one of only two teams to beat them in the league this season, while their next two outings after this come away to Manchester City and Arsenal - their two closest rivals for the title. Come through those games in good shape and the title will be theirs to lose.

The statistics certainly suggest that they have more than a good chance to become just the sixth different name on the Premier League trophy. They currently sit three points clear at the top of the table having lost fewer matches than anyone else in the division, and the last 11 teams to have been at the summit at the turn of February have gone on to win the league. Today is also their 43rd day at the top of the table, and only Manchester City (100) have spent longer there this season.

It has now got to the point that failure to win the title may hold some disappointment for Leicester fans, but at the very least they can be increasingly confident of seeing Champions League football at the King Power Stadium next season - something that was unthinkable just a few months ago. They are 10 points clear of Manchester United as things stand and, with the way the Red Devils - and indeed the teams below them - are playing, that looks to be a pretty safe gap, particularly coupled with Leicester's form. The last side to be top at the start of February in the top flight and still miss out on a place in the top four was Southampton way back in 1981-82.

Their form has shown signs of faltering in recent weeks, though. They have only won two of their last eight matches in all competitions having won six and lost none of their seven games immediately before that run. That spell actually began with their defeat to Liverpool on Boxing Day and has seen them knocked out of the FA Cup, although it should also be noted that they are unbeaten in five Premier League matches and have only lost three of their last 32, stretching back to their great escape last season.

Perhaps just as importantly from Ranieri's perspective is that they have kept four clean sheets in that five-game league unbeaten run, which is something that they struggled to do during the first half of the season. They have actually kept three consecutive league clean sheets here at the King Power Stadium too, with those coming in an ongoing seven-match unbeaten streak - their best top-flight streak since 1999.

They have only lost two of their last 16 home games in all competitions, while only two teams - Manchester City and Arsenal - have picked up more points in front of their own fans this season. However, they have still managed to pick up more points on their travels than they have at the King Power Stadium, and they have also failed to score in three of their last four home outings. There may also be a slight concern at the fact that their victory over Stoke City last time out was the first home game that they have won against a team in the top nine so far this term.

A glimmer of hope for Liverpool, maybe, but Klopp will be under no illusions as to how tough this match will be for his side. It is not often that they would have gone into a game with Leicester as the underdogs, but that will be the case in the minds of many this evening. Liverpool have shown that they are capable of beating the top dogs in the league this season - victories over Leicester and Man City attest to that - but the question is will that Liverpool turn up?

It is a question we won't know the answer to until the match kicks off, with Liverpool capable of a playing some scintillating football - like we saw against the likes of Man City, Arsenal and even in the 5-4 win over Norwich - but then also prone to toothless, disappointing displays. Their last two performances would come under the latter category, with defeat to Stoke City being offset by victory on penalties in that League Cup semi-final, taking them to Wembley.

Saturday, meanwhile, saw them play out a goalless draw with West Ham and, while they created the better chances at Anfield, Liverpool lacked a killer instinct in the final third. It was, admittedly, a much-changed side for the Reds, with a number of youngsters, but perhaps the most guilty of the lot for missing chances was Benteke. It was another game in which Liverpool did not play particularly well, but they should have won it nonetheless.

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Perhaps the worst thing about that result was that it adds yet another fixture to their packed schedule. Saturday's match was their ninth of January alone, and they face at least another seven in February, including the final of the League Cup at the end of the month. The Premier League, and finishing in the top four, remains the priority of the four competitions that they are in, but failure to take a good haul of points from upcoming matches against the bottom two of Sunderland and Aston Villa may see those priorities change.

The gap to the top four is currently eight points heading into tonight's fixtures, while they are a full 13 behind their hosts. Their dramatic 5-4 victory over Norwich was their most recent league match and their first Premier League victory of 2016. Indeed, they have only won three times in their last nine outings, which is a level of inconsistency that is simply too high if they harbour Champions League ambitions.

Their four matches so far in 2016 have seen them concede 11 goals, taking their overall tally in the season to 32 - the highest in the top half of the table. Perhaps an even more worryingly statistic for Klopp, however, will be that his side have allowed opponents to score with their first shot on target in all four of those games, which suggests that teams can simply sit back and soak up any pressure knowing that Liverpool are likely to hand them a good goalscoring chance.

The Reds have picked up more points away from home than they have at Anfield so far this season, with only four teams having amassed more on the road. Their away form under Klopp includes impressive victories at Chelsea, Man City and Southampton, but since then their inconsistency has prevented them from going on a good run once again. They have lost three and won two of their five away league games since their win at the Etihad, with those two victories coming at struggling Sunderland and Norwich.

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the King Power Stadium, which means that it is time for a prediction! This is a very tough one to call, with both sides having been unpredictable lately. Leicester's form has been patchier than usual, while Liverpool are capable of comfortably winning or comfortably losing this one. It is such a hard call that I'm going to sit on the fence a go for a 2-2 draw!

As already mentioned, Liverpool are one of only two teams to have beaten Leicester in the league this season, doing so on Boxing Day when Christian Benteke grabbed the only goal of the season. That also saw Liverpool become the first side to keep Leicester from scoring all season, although the Foxes went on to draw blanks in their next two games as well. Their last meeting here saw Liverpool run out 3-1 victors, with goals from Lallana, Gerrard and Henderson cancelling out a Mignolet own goal.

Those two matches are part of an ongoing seven-match unbeaten streak for Liverpool against Leicester, winning five and drawing two in that time. Leicester last victory over the Reds came back in March 2001, when Ade Akinbiyi grabbed a rare goal that was added to be Muzzy Izzet for a 2-0 win.

Leicester have only won three of their last 13 home meetings with Liverpool, losing six in that time, so it has been a relatively happy hunting ground for the Reds in recent years. However, the odds will have rarely, if ever, been stacked so heavily in Leicester's favour as they are going into this one tonight.

There are seven other Premier League matches taking place this evening, including a number that will be of interest to both sides. The top nine are all in action, and for Leicester they could lose top spot to either Arsenal or Man City should they be beaten here by Liverpool.

KICKOFF: Here we go then! Leicester get us underway at the King Power Stadium as they look to maintain their place at the top of the Premier League table.

CLOSE! Very bright start from the home side, and they almost take the lead within minutes. Mahrez is the threat, as ever, but his curling shot from the edge of the area goes inches wide of the target.

At the other end, this is not one that Can will want to see again. He cuts inside onto his right foot and finds a bit of space to shoot, but his effort is a long, long way over the crossbar.

Huth gets a ticking off from the referee here for sticking his elbow into Lallana when challenging for a high ball, letting him know that he is there (to put it kindly). Free kick to Liverpool...

Henderson swings it in to the middle, but Huth is there to make a legal clearance this time.

Almost a chance for Vardy to break forward as he gets up against the two central defenders, who just about do enough, even if Lovren's challenge was questionable. Liverpool go up the other end and put a fine move together, but Can is flagged offside having been denied by a superv Schmeichel save from close range.

This match has started at a good tempo, which is no surprise considering how these two sides like to play. It is all quite even at the moment, although Leicester have come closest to opening the scoring.

SAVE! Mignolet is called into action here as a cross from Fuchs finds Mahrez just outside the box. He takes a touch and then goes for a volley as the ball drops out of the air, but he doesn't catch it perfectly and in the end it is a fairly routine stop.

Liverpool have played a number of high crosses into the box already, which is interesting considering the relative lack of height they have in the middle. Instead their cross seem to be towards the back post, where they are nodding the ball back into the middle for a teammate. That's the plan at least.

Good hustling from Firmino as he chases down a long ball forward which is between defence and goalkeeper. Schmeichel comes off his line, but Huth can't take any risks and puts the ball behind for a corner, which comes to nothing.

An almost identical situation occurs at the other end of the field now, and it perhaps shows the lack of understanding between the Liverpool defence and keeper. No-one takes command of the situation, and Mignolet eventually has to come out of his area and nod it away.

Liverpool have taken a decent degree of control over this match here. They are still yet to really test Schmeichel, but they are seeing plenty of the ball, and much of it is coming in Leicester's half.

Perhaps a chance for Leicester to get the ball into the box here as Lovren comes through the back of Vardy and is penalised by Andre Marriner. It is perhaps just out of shooting range, though, and very central for a cross.

They go for goal, playing it short for Fuchs, but that allows the wall to break out and close him down. Fuchs's shot hits the defender, which takes the power off it and it is easy for Mignolet.

Liverpool may have had the better of the last 15 minutes or so, but they don't look entirely comfortable defensively when Leicester do come forward. Lovren in particular is looking shaky up against the hustle and bustle of Vardy and Okazaki.

As if on cue, Lovren concedes a corner under pressure from Vardy. The subsequent delivery is swung into the middle and Huth rises highest, but his header is comfortably over the crossbar.

Good spell for Leicester now, and they win another free kick in Liverpool territory, with Lucas barging into Okazaki. This one is in a much better position, and Mahrez will be very interested...

It is indeed Mahrez who goes for it, but his effort fails to clear the wall and Liverpool clear their lines.

Almost an own goal from Fuchs as Moreno does well to steal possession off Mahrez before feeding a pass in to Lallana. He twists and turns before clipping a cross towards the back post, but Fuchs nods it over his own crossbar.

SAVE! Brilliant effort from Mahrez and brilliant save from Mignolet! Vardy overran the ball and was subsequently tackled, but the ball fell to Mahrez, who showed no hesitation in going for a first-time curling effort from 25-30 yards. He wraps his foot around it beautifully and it looks destined for the top corner, but Mignolet gets his fingertips to it to put it over the crossbar.

Mignolet comes off his line twice in quick succession in an attempt to deal with throws into the box, and on neither occasion is he particularly convincing. The second sees the ball slip through his hands, and it needs Sakho to hook it away to avoid an embarrassing opening goal for the hosts.

SHOT! What a waste from Moreno. He is found in space down the left channel and has red shirts in the middle to pick out, but he goes for goal himself and sends his effort high and wide of the near post.

Another good run from Mahrez, who really looks to be in the mood tonight. He spins away from one red shirt and turns to run at the defence, but can is there to lever him off the ball. Mahrez wants a free kick, but the referee says no.

Liverpool's general performance so far this evening has not been too bad, but they have offered very little threat in the final third. Schmeichel is yet to make a meaningful save.

There will be one minute of added time at the end of this first half.

Andre Marriner brings an end to the first half at the King Power Stadium, and we're still goalless between Leicester and Liverpool. The match has been played at a decent tempo and has been fairly even in terms of general play, but it is Leicester who have had the best sights of goal. It is still very much in the balance, though!

The closest we have come to a goal arrived after just eight minutes when Vardy dinked a cross into the middle for Okazaki, who nodded it towards goal from close range. Mignolet was there to make the save, however, tipping the header onto the top of the crossbar and over.

The Liverpool keeper made an even better stop 10 minutes before half time to deny what would have been a stunning strike from Mahrez. Lovren's initial tackle to dispossess Vardy was a good one, but the ball broke to Mahrez around 25 yards from goal and he took it on first time. His curling effort looked destined for the top corner, but Mignolet just managed to get a fingertip to it, pushing it over the crossbar.

Mignolet has made one more straightforward save to deny Mahrez, but at the other end of the field Schmeichel has had comparatively little to do. Liverpool have seen a fair amount of the ball, but Leicester have defended their third well and they look to hit the Reds on the break. It is a tactic that has worked very well for them so far this season, and they have so far been the more dangerous team by employing it once again tonight.

KICKOFF: Liverpool get us back underway for the second half at the King Power Stadium, and they will be hoping for more of an attacking threat than they showed in that opening 45 minutes!

CHANCE! Much better from the visitors. It is a lovely move from Liverpool as Can, Milner and Henderson are all involved, playing the ball into the box. The latter eventually tees it up for Can, whose shot takes a deflection on its way wide.

Almost a chance for Leicester to hit Liverpool with one of their counter-attacks as Clyne finds himself in the unenviable position of being on his own up against Mahrez and Vardy. The Liverpool defender does very well, though, blocking the pass, although Vardy was in an offside position anyway.

SHOT! Shooting chance for the hosts as Sakho can only clear a Drinkwater cross as far as Okazaki, who Cruyff turns past one defender on the edge of the box. That gives him space to go for goal, but his effort is really disappointing as he puts it well off target.

Risky stuff from Mignolet as he invites pressure from Vardy before doing a Cruyff turn of his own past the striker. Clyne gives the ball away soon after to invite pressure back in the defence, but Sakho makes an important challenge to win it back.

This would have been an unlikely way to break the deadlock! Liverpool come forward down the left and the ball is cut back from the byline to the edge of the box. It sits up invitingly for someone running on to it... but that man is Lucas and he blazes his half-volley a long way off target.

SAVE! Almost another unlikely source of a goal as Moreno mis-hits his cross, forcing Schmeichel to adjust and beat the ball away at his near post.

This is a good spell of pressure for Liverpool at the moment. They have Leicester pinned back, although their latest attack comes to another disappointing end when Firmino's shot on the turn flies well over.

Leicester break the deadlock, and in some style too! It is Vardy who gets the goal, and this may be the best of his 17 in the league this season. Mahrez sent the ball over the top and it sat up nicely for the England international, who unleashes a stunning half-volley past Mignolet and into the top corner. Brilliant goal.

"We're Leicester City, we're top of the league" sing the King Power Stadium faithful. They most certainly are, and with moments like that they may stay there for a while longer. It was a stunning strike, worthy of winning any game.

I wouldn't be too surprised to see Klopp turn to his bench soon. Benteke may not have been in the best form lately, but Firmino has not been in this match at all and something needs to change in Liverpool's attack here.

LIVERPOOL SUB: Speak if the devil, here comes Christian Benteke. Henderson is the man who makes way for the big Belgian.

Liverpool break into the box, with the ball being fed into the feet of Firmino, but he can't keep hold of the ball and Leicester are able to clear their lines.

PENALTY SHOUT! Brilliant football from Leicester as they string some slick one-touch passes together on their way into the Liverpool box. Okazaki pushes the ball past Sakho, who stretches out a leg that Okazaki tumbles over. The referee says no, but he certainly had a decision to make. I'll wait until I see a replay of that one, but it looked risky from Sakho.

He's done it again! Vardy doubles both his personal tally and Leicester's lead, although this one is a little more straightforward than his opener. First and foremost it is poor defending from Sakho, who lets the ball bounce and then puts in a poor headed clearance that only falls to Okazaki. The striker slips while shooting, and the ball spins off a defender and into the path of Vardy at the back post, who is never going to miss from there.

Is there any way back for Liverpool now, then? It must be said that it looks unlikely. They have still not forced Schmeichel into a meaningful save this evening and have looked far too toothless in the final third.

LIVERPOOL SUB: A second change for the Reds as Joe Allen comes on for Can.

LEICESTER SUB: January signing Demarai Gray is going to get a run-out here as he replaces Albrighton for the final 10 minutes or so.

Clyne tries to finally work Schmeichel, making his way into the area down the right channel before going for goal with a loan drive. The ball is blocked behind for a corner before it can trouble the keeper, however.

Liverpool are not giving this one up just yet, but they have seen plenty of the ball all evening without posing much of an attacking threat. It is more of the same right now, with Leicester standing firm against everything Liverpool throw at them - which in truth isn't much.

YELLOW CARD! The first card of the night is shown to Lucas, who goes into the book for a trip on Okazaki. More a case of the totting-up process, that.

LEICESTER SUB: Being fouled it Okazaki's final action of the game as he is replaced by Andy King.

LIVERPOOL SUB: Liverpool make a change of their own too as the ineffectual Firmino is replaced by Joao Teixeira.

LEICESTER SUB: Third and final change for the home side as Leonardo Ulloa replaces Mahrez.

There will be a minimum of three added minutes at the end of this match.

Andre Marriner brings an end to proceedings at the King Power Stadium, and the Leicester train just keeps on rolling with another victory to keep them three points clear at the top of the Premier League table. There are no prizes for guessing who will steal the headlines, with Vardy well and truly back amongst the goals with a brace to see off Liverpool. The second was a good predatory strike as he latched on to a deflected shot to fire home, but it was the first which this game will be remembered for. Vardy slammed a half-volley into the top corner from outside the box for surely the best of his 18 Premier League goals this season.

That is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as Leicester stay three points clear at the top of the table courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Liverpool. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps. There are more Premier League games taking place tomorrow, night, and we have them covered so be sure to check back in for that. For now, though, it is goodbye from me!