Preview: Liverpool vs Leeds United - prediction, team news, lineups

Only a few weeks on from their six-goal Elland Road spectacular - and the Mohamed Salah-related events that followed it - Liverpool and Leeds United reconvene at Anfield for a New Year's Day Premier League clash.

The Reds' winning run now stands at four matches thanks to their 2-1 success over Wolverhampton Wanderers, while the Whites are now unbeaten in five after holding Sunderland to a 1-1 draw.

Match preview

The champions against the team on course to be the worst the Premier League had ever seen would be a monumental mismatch on paper, but as new title favourites Arsenal found out a couple of weeks ago, basement boys Wolves can still prove a tricky assignment on home soil.

Nevertheless, Arne Slot's rejuvenated Liverpool edged out the Championship-bound Old Gold courtesy of two quickfire strikes from Ryan Gravenberch and - belatedly - Florian Wirtz, scoring his first Premier League goal with his 21st shot in the competition.

The £116m man's overall devastating display epitomised a Reds side who are finally back in their groove again, prevailing in each of their last four games in all tournaments - including three in a row in the top flight - to rise into the top four of the Premier League table.

Wins for Chelsea and Manchester United on Tuesday would bump the hosts back down, but the feel-good factor is finally returning to the red half of Merseyside, in the absence of a certain Salah - a penny for his thoughts in Morocco.

Furthermore, it has been 21 years since Liverpool were last beaten in a Premier League game on January 1 - going down to Chelsea under Rafael Benitez in 2005 - and they have won five and drawn one of their six New Year's Day battles over the past two decades.

Two years before Liverpool's 2005 defeat to Chelsea, Leeds played their most recent Premier League match on January 1 - a 2-0 win over Birmingham City in 2003 before also taking down Blues in the Championship on New Year's Day 2024.

However, the latter result represents Leeds' only win from their last six league matches on January 1, and the Whites also have just one victory to show from their last 16 top-flight games away to the reigning champions, shocking Arsenal at Highbury in 2003.

Daniel Farke's troops also have momentum on their side, though, having strung together a sterling five-game unbeaten to open up an unassailable lead over 18th-placed West Ham United, although both of their wins in that sequence came on home soil.

Sunday's stalemate at Sunderland was creditable, but it was also one that extended Leeds' winless run on the road to a worrying six matches, and the Whites are still waiting for their first clean sheet on their travels this term.

Liverpool and Leeds' 3-3 draw in December was very much a case of a point gained for the Whites, though, and after upsetting the Reds 2-1 away from home in 2022, the visitors could now win back-to-back league games at Anfield for the first time ever.

Liverpool Premier League form:

Liverpool form (all competitions):

Leeds United Premier League form:

Team News

After enjoying a well-earned rest through suspension, Liverpool workhorse Dominik Szoboszlai will return from the naughty step to surely displace Federico Chiesa, who lasted just 61 minutes on a rare start against Wolves.

However, neither Joe Gomez (muscle) nor Wataru Endo (ankle) are expected back in the ranks just yet, while Alexander Isak (ankle) and Giovanni Leoni (ACL) remain out of contention alongside Africa Cup of Nations-competing Salah.

Cody Gakpo is aiming to score in Liverpool's first game of a calendar year for the third year running - no Reds player has managed that feat since Ian Rush in the 1980s - but the Dutchman will surely have to settle for another substitute cameo here.

As for Leeds, Farke lost key defender Joe Rodon to a painful-looking ankle injury at the Stadium of Light - the severity of his issue remains unknown, but an appearance on Thursday is surely out of the question.

Rodon joins Sean Longstaff (calf) and Daniel James (thigh) in the treatment room, and his omission could force Farke to revert to a back four with the inclusion of Ao Tanaka, who replaced Rodon in the first half at Sunderland and memorably scored Leeds' equaliser against Liverpool in December.

On a brighter note, Dominic Calvert-Lewin's hot streak is showing no sign of slowing down - he is now the first Leeds player to find the net in six successive Premier League games and has enjoyed a longer scoring sequence than Harry Kane ever managed in the competition.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:

Alisson; Frimpong, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Jones; Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Wirtz; Ekitike

Leeds United possible starting lineup:

Perri; Bogle, Struijk, Bijol, Gudmundsson; Stach, Ampadu, Tanaka; Aaronson, Calvert-Lewin, Okafor

We say: Liverpool 3-1 Leeds United

Both teams have scored in each of Leeds' last eight matches, and that trend looks likely to continue against a Liverpool side who remain vulnerable from dead-ball situations - even if they have just parted company with their set-piece coach.

However, Rodon's absence will force Farke into a tactical rethink, and the breakup of Leeds' effective 3-5-2 structure could prove fatal as the champions celebrate on New Year's Day.

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