Leeds v Liverpool preview: Reds take top-four chase to Yorkshire
However, Javi Gracia’s men hit a new low last time out, subjecting the Elland Road faithful to a thumping 5-1 defeat by Crystal Palace, their heaviest of the league season.
That result has firmly entrenched the Whites in the relegation battle, with their main concerns personified by the fact they’ve kept only five clean sheets in their last 41 matches.
That record leaves tremendous pressure on their attack, but one of the occasions they managed to outscore their opponents was their famous 2-1 win over Liverpool at Anfield back in October, meaning another upset here would secure their first league double over the Reds since the 2000/01 campaign!
Liverpool are unbeaten in seven visits to Elland Road (W5, D2) since that defeat in November 2000, which might be the only positive outlook they’ll carry with them.
While their fighting spirit was on display in their come-from-behind 2-2 draw with league leaders Arsenal in the last round, the reality is that was their fifth consecutive match without a victory (D2, L3), meaning they now face six successive matches without a win for the first time since Jürgen Klopp’s appointment as manager.
The Reds can all but kiss their top-four hopes goodbye as a result, and another poor performance on the road may just put the final nail in that coffin.
But with just three victories on their league travels this season (D4, L8) and averaging less than a goal scored per away game for the very first time in their PL history, Liverpool fans might not be too expectant despite their decent record here.
Key battle: Patrick Bamford got the game-winning assist in the reverse fixture, although he’ll want to trouble the scorers himself here having scored his last four goals all at home. Liverpool’s talismanic centre-back Virgil van Dijk won’t only aim to keep Bamford quiet, but perhaps venture forward too having scored (G2) or assisted (A1) in his three previous wins over Leeds.
Hot stat: Only two of Liverpool’s last ten away matches have seen both teams score on the day.
