Hoping for a first Premier League win of the new year, Jurgen Klopp’s misfiring Liverpool FC side host Burnley on Thursday evening at Anfield.
Failure to secure a win in any of their last four league outings has put the pressure on the Merseysiders of falling further down the top-flight standings in light of the form showcased by the likes of Leicester City and Manchester City in recent weeks as the former reached the summit courtesy of a 2-0 win over Chelsea on Tuesday.
Sunday’s much-hyped encounter against arch-rivals Manchester United witnessed yet another stalemate for Klopp’s men, meaning that last season’s champions dropped down to fourth but Burnley’s visit to Anfield presents Liverpool FC with the perfect opportunity to return to much-needed winning ways.
Alisson Becker was crucial for Klopp’s side over the weekend and a couple of important saves from the Liverpool FC No.1 late on in the game against Manchester United salvaged a point for an injury-hit Reds, who continue to miss a number of first-team regulars owing to long-term niggles.
The midweek visitors to Anfield sit 17th in the league standings, with their last two Premier League games ending in narrow defeats for Sean Dyche’s men as a relegation battle looms large midway through the campaign.
Despite an uninspiring run form witnessed of late from an otherwise fiery Liverpool FC side, the Reds will be tipped to secure all three points from Thursday’s fixture at home turf, where they have not come out second best since April 2017.
3 – Liverpool have failed to score in three straight @premierleague games for the first time since March 2005, whilst they are only the third different reigning PL champion to do so after Arsenal in 1998-99 & Leicester in 2016-17. Defused. #LIVMNU pic.twitter.com/xgtAZAcCrz
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 17, 2021
Goals have dried up in the worst possible fashion for Liverpool FC’s famed frontline of Firmino, Mane, and Salah as none of the three forwards have been able to find the back of the net since the turn of the year, giving Klopp a major headache to deal with on the attacking front, with Diogo Jota’s extended injury layoff spelling out further trouble for the Anfield outfit.
Burnley have scored just once in their last seven outings, giving Klopp’s makeshift options at the back major comfort but the onus would on an uninspiring Liverpool FC attacking line to get the better of a resilient Clarets defence and leave Anfield with a win to move up the order in the table.
WHEN & WHERE?
Next up, we're back at Anfield against @BurnleyOfficial 👊🔴 #LIVBUR pic.twitter.com/Of4WNeL9qR
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 20, 2021
Date: Thursday 21 January
Time: 7:30 PM GMT
Venue: Anfield
TEAM NEWS
Joel Matip’s inclusion in the Liverpool FC XI continues to dominate the headlines leading to the Anfield showdown between Klopp’s men and Burnley.
The Cameroonian international centre-back was missing in action from Sunday’s game against Manchester United as Jordan Henderson slotted into the heart of the defence for the second outing in a row.
However, reports do suggest that Matip is in line to take the pitch on Thursday and should he do so, Henderson’s role on the pitch would be shifted back to the centre of the park for the Merseysiders.
Xherdan Shaqiri had been handed the rarest of starts in top-flight football on Sunday and the Swiss international’s positive impact on the game was subject to praise from Jurgen Klopp in the aftermath of the weekend clash, hinting that Shaqiri could be in the mix to grab a second straight start when Burnley visit Anfield.
KEY BATTLE
Mohammad Salah vs Ben Mee
Salah’s tally of 13 goals this campaign means that the Egyptian international leads the goalscoring charts in Premier League football in spite of the ongoing slump witnessed from his performances in recent weeks.
The 28-year-old failed to score for the fifth game in a row over the weekend as Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw put in a tremendous showing to keep Liverpool FC’s main man in constant check over the course of the 90 minutes.
Mee’s great run of defensive showings of late has put his side out of the relegation zone and the Englishman would face a tough task in ensuring the under-fire Salah does not return to his goalscoring best on Thursday.
MATCH PREDICTION
Klopp’s men need to return to winning ways in an urgent manner and the upsurge in form witnessed by fellow title-challengers would surely come as a shot in the arm for Liverpool FC win to trounce Burnley in the midweek fixture.
We predict the Reds frontline to rediscover their spark and ensure a 3-0 win against the Clarets.
