Liverpool v Leeds preview: Free Premier League betting tips, latest odds, team news, stats, TV & kick-off times

A mouthwatering match like this on the first day of the season will bring the current situation sharply into focus - with a packed house the atmosphere at this game would be incredible.

There's still a lot to love about the fixture though, with Marcelo Bielsa and Jurgen Klopp two of the most talked about managers in world football, let alone the Premier League, and two of the most loved by their own supporters.

Both love to play with energy, enthusiasm and passion, and in that regard we will hopefully hit the ground running with an all-action encounter to light up our Saturday tea-time.

Liverpool v Leeds

• Saturday 5.30pm BST | Sky Sports Premier League
• Match odds: Home 2/7 | Draw 19/4 | Away 9/1

It's always an intriguing battle when the top two teams from the top two divisions meet, perhaps this should be a regular opening fixture every season? There's certainly more interest in this one because of the stature of the two teams involved.

Premier League champions are unsurprisingly dominant when facing newly-promoted sides on the first weekend, winning all six previous encounters, while only two top-flight newcomers have ever beaten the champions away on opening day - Notts County at Aston Villa in 1981 and West Brom at Arsenal way back in 1931.

Championship victors also haven't done particularly well in their opening Premier League games - with the last 12 all failing to take three points with just three draws and nine defeats, including Norwich who lost 4-1 at Anfield last season. Sunderland were the last successful side when they beat Spurs in 2007.

The Reds also have a strong record as defending champions, losing just once in their previous 18 opening games as English champions, and that came against West Brom in 1923 - since when they've won 12 and drawn five.

Leeds, though, are unbeaten on Premier League opening days, winning five and drawing seven of their 12 previous season kick-offs - no task though has been more difficult than this one.

Liverpool: Can the same squad go again?

Jurgen Klopp is going with the 'same again boys' attitude to try and defend Liverpool's title but opinion is divided as to whether it's the right way to go. Whether this is what Klopp wants or just what he has to deal with because of the pandemic is anyone's guess.

Liverpool spent big to get on top, but are not spending big to stay there - there's no question that they would have signed Timo Werner had there been no coronavirus and they'd have probably wrapped up the signing of Thiago Alcantara too. Who knows, they may have even have been in for Jadon Sancho!

They've had to tighten their belts, but while that leads many to question whether they'll get left behind, there are plenty that will remind you they won the league at a stroll last season, with seven games to spare and it could've been an even wider margin but for the obvious interruptions and celebrations.

Klopp likes to operate with a small squad too, and with the African Cup of Nations being moved his star men Sadio Mane and Mo Salah will be involved for the full season. There are also big things expected of Naby Keita and Curtis Jones to boost them. The doubt, though, is why they're second favourites for the title behind Man City.

Betting preview & tips

One player to keep an eye on was a regular for Leeds in that title-winning season and that's Jack Harrison. He established himself as Bielsa's preferred choice on the left wing and he saw huge improvement in his second season under the Whites' boss.

He had direct involvement in 14 league goals during the 2019/20 campaign but his high number of total shots across the course of the campaign suggests there should have been more. His 54 was the third-most in this Leeds team, with left-back Stuart Dallas taking second spot.

Liverpool will justify their heavy odds-on price tag here but Leeds should give a good account of themselves. They may well grab a goal, although the value comes in the 9/4 price on Harrison having at least one shot on target in this contest.

Score prediction: Liverpool 3-1 Leeds (Sky Bet odds: 9/1)

Best bet: Jack Harrison to have 1+ shots on target at 9/4

Click here to read our preview in full

Leeds: Can Bielsa's team make the step up?

They played with energy, gusto and a swagger in the Championship, but it's a different ball game making the step up - can Bielsa ball be a Premier League success?

Kalvin Phillips became the first Leeds player to win an England cap since Alan Smith in March 2004 when he appeared for the Three Lions in Denmark, and the Yorkshire Pirlo is one to watch this season as he looks to impress in that important holding midfield role.

Pablo Hernandez is their stand-out talent, and man with Premier League know-how, although Patrick Bamford and Liam Cooper have had at least some, albeit limited, experience of the top flight. New signings Rodrigo and Robin Koch may not, but they are international quality.

Much like Liverpool though, the manager shines through with this Leeds team and many believe he could get almost any 11 players to perform. Klopp's champions provide the ultimate test, but Bielsa has had plenty of time to prepare for this game, and if we know anything it's that this manager is always prepared. He'll have a plan.

Stats & bet trends

Liverpool's opening day games are usually goal fests under Jurgen Klopp - they've won three and drawn one of his four games but just look at the scorelines - 4-1, 4-0, 3-3, 4-3.

That's 15 goals in four games, more than any other team in that span, scoring at least three on each occasion and a 5.5 total goals-per-game average. That's why Liverpool are just 11/10 to score 3+ goals here.

Over 3.5 goals is also a 5/4 chance.

Mo Salah has scored in Liverpool's last last three opening fixtures - only Teddy Sheringham has managed four in a row (1992-95). He's 4/5 to equal Sheringham's record and score on Saturday.

Pablo Hernandez also loves an opening day goal though, he's bagged in back-to-back season openers and is a more generous 9/2 to get on the scoresheet at Anfield. With 36 Leeds goals in four seasons, 28 more for the club than any other current player, he's well capable.

Hernandez would be just the third Leeds player to score in three straight league openers, joining Russell Wainscoat (1926-27 – 1928-29) and Harold Brook (1954-55 – 1956-57).

Liverpool v Leeds team news

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson may have to settle for a place on the bench for their Premier League opener at home to Leeds. The England midfielder only returned to full training this week after a knee injury prematurely ended last season for him.

Manager Jurgen Klopp will make a late call on the trio of Henderson, Xherdan Shaqiri and new signing Kostas Tsimikas.

Leeds’ club record signing Rodrigo and another summer recruit, Germany defender Robin Koch, could make their debuts for the club.

Head coach Marcelo Bielsa has a full-strength squad to choose from for Leeds’ first Premier League game in 16 years, apart from Adam Forshaw.

The midfielder is working his way back from a long-term hip injury, but Kalvin Phillips will return to the squad after missing the final three games of last season due to a knee injury.

Liverpool provisional squad: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Keita, Salah, Firmino, Mane, Adrian, Williams, Matip, Tsimikas, Milner, Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jones, Origi, Minamino, Brewster.

Leeds provisional squad: Meslier, Cooper, Koch, Ayling, Klich, Stevens, Struijk, Phillips, Hernandez, Dallas, Harrison, Alioski, Bamford, Rodrigo, Roberts, Poveda, Casilla, Douglas, Shackleton.

Liverpool v Leeds United Opta stats

• Liverpool are unbeaten in their last eight games against Leeds in all competitions (W6 D2), since a 1-2 defeat in April 2001 in the Premier League.
• Leeds have lost their last three away matches against Liverpool in all competitions, with this the Whites’ first trip to Anfield since a 0-2 defeat in the League Cup in November 2016.
• Leeds have played more Premier League matches on MD1 without losing than any other team in the competition’s history (P12 W5 D7), while Liverpool have won six of their last seven games on opening day (D1), scoring 15 goals in their four under Jürgen Klopp (W3 D1).
• Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa is only the fourth Argentinian to manage in the English top-flight, after Ossie Ardilles, Mauricio Pochettino and Mauricio Pellegrino. Bielsa will be the second-oldest permanent manager (post-war) to take charge of his first game in the English top-flight (65y 53d) behind only Dick Advocaat, who was 67 when he took charge of Sunderland for the first time in March 2015.
• This will be Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp’s first Premier League match against Leeds, although he faced the Whites in the League Cup in November 2016, a 2-0 win. Klopp has beaten all 28 of the previous teams he has faced in the Premier League.
• Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah is looking to become the second player to score on MD1 in four consecutive Premier League seasons, after Teddy Sheringham (1992-93 – 1995-96); no Liverpool player has ever scored on MD1 in four consecutive seasons in their league history.
• Since his debut for Leeds in August 2016, Pablo Hernández has been involved in 74 goals in all competitions (36 goals, 38 assists), 28 more than any other Whites player. Hernández could become the third Leeds player to score on MD1 in three consecutive league seasons, after Russell Wainscoat (1926-27 – 1928-29) and Harold Brook (1954-55 – 1956-57).

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