After earning a big point with a draw vs Arsenal, Liverpool hit the road for a pivotal match on April 17th at Leeds United. The Reds hope to welcome Luis Díaz back from a long-term injury while avenging a heartbreaking loss to the Snow Leapords from earlier this season.
Could Díaz Be Back?
Jürgen Klopp has indicated in the past several weeks that Luis Díaz has been inching closer to a return and indicated in his press conference that Díaz would likely see the pitch vs Leeds United. The boss indicated that the Columbian forward was at 100 per cent and ready to go,
“Yeah, absolutely it is [like having a new signing],” Klopp said. “Luis, he developed massively. In that time his English is getting better, so he is really settled. He was here every day – how it is with injured players and especially long-term injured players, they are even more at the training ground than all the others, so every day together with therapists and stuff like this. He really matured again, he is much more comfortable than he was in the beginning with everything in a new country, so that's really good and it will help him as well. So, we are really happy to have him back.”
Splitting The Difference
In their last 6 games, Liverpool have 2 wins, 2 losses and 2 draws. While that's not terrible football, it is certainly not what the Reds need at this point in the season if they want to climb the PL table. A matchup with the Snow Leopards looks promising on paper, but Liverpool's struggles away this season have been well-documented. The Foxes have a world-class striker in Rodrigo, who has pulled his club above the relegation zone with 13 goals, but the production drops off from there.
Too Much of a Good Thing
Liverpool have been playing better lately, particularly in the second half vs Arsenal. But now the team will have 8 days between matches. Is that too much of a break? The last time the Reds had a long layoff, they fell to Manchester City on the road 4-1. Let's hope they don't have a similar result vs. Leeds.
LFC Globe Verdict
If the Reds can carry over that second-half performance from the last game, this should be a fairly comfortable win. But if Liverpool supporters have learned anything this season, the only consistent thing about the Reds is that they are inconsistent. Still, I don't see them losing twice in the same season to Leeds. That has not happened in over 50 years (1971-1972), so I see Liverpool getting a late winner to emerge victorious 2-1.
Where To Watch
Kickoff is set for 20:00 hours BST and can be seen on Sky Sports. American audiences can stream the action on Peacock Premium at 3 PM EST while those in Canada can do the same via fuboTV. A full list of streaming options is available by visiting LFC Globe's Live Streams page.