Aiming to extend their unbeaten Premier League run to three games - which would be a noteworthy achievement right now - Liverpool hit the road to face newly-promoted Leeds United at Elland Road on Saturday.
Arne Slot's men escaped with a point from a 1-1 draw with Sunderland on Wednesday, but the Whites stunned title outsiders Chelsea in a 3-1 home success.
Match preview
It took 14 gameweeks for Liverpool to play out their first draw of the 2025-26 Premier League season, but had it not been for a heroic defensive intervention from an unlikely source, the Reds could have been dissecting a seventh top-flight loss of the term.
Deflected strikes from Chemsdine Talbi and Florian Wirtz - the latter of which went down as a Nordi Mukiele own goal - led to a share of the spoils between the Reds and the Black Cats, but Slot was indebted to Federico Chiesa for blocking Wilson Isidor's late goal-bound effort.
Neither Arsenal nor Chelsea have got the better of surprise package Sunderland this season - the Blues even lost at home to Regis Le Bris's men - so a midweek point is hardly catastrophic for Liverpool, although it has inevitably triggered heightened speculation around Slot's future once again.
However, Liverpool are still believed to have no plans to sack the Dutchman, whose side at least enter gameweek 15 in the top half of the Premier League table, albeit a whopping 11 points behind title favourites Arsenal.
Nevertheless, if the visitors can avoid defeat on Saturday, it will mark the first time since September that the Reds have gone unbeaten in three straight matches, as well as avoiding another hit to the morale before a daunting Champions League clash with Inter Milan.
© Imago / Pro Sports Images
Leeds have not managed to take the Premier League by storm in the same manner as Sunderland since their return to the big time, but Daniel Farke took a leaf out of Le Bris's book when Chelsea paid a visit to Elland Road in midweek.
For the second time this season, the Club World Cup winners were bested by a newly-promoted team, as Jaka Bijol, Ao Tanaka and Dominic Calvert-Lewin propelled the Whites to a stunning midweek success.
Farke's men had already threatened a captivating comeback at Manchester City with a new system in the second half, and the former Norwich City boss tried out that 3-5-2 formula from the first whistle to devastating effect on Wednesday.
Moreover, Leeds' triumph - which snapped a four-game losing run - has launched them out of the relegation zone and into 17th place, although West Ham United can bump them back down into the bottom three by beating Manchester United by at least two goals on Thursday.
Leeds' last full season in the Premier League also saw the Whites stun Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield in October 2022, but the merciless Reds gained revenge with a 6-1 Elland Road embarrassment in April 2023, and they have not lost on their hosts' turf for 25 years.
Leeds United Premier League form:
W
L
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W
Liverpool Premier League form:
L
W
L
L
W
D
Liverpool form (all competitions):
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L
L
L
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D
Team News
Prior to the draw with Sunderland, Slot expressed hope that Conor Bradley would return from a muscular injury in time to face Leeds, but Jeremie Frimpong (thigh) and Giovanni Leoni (ACL) will not be involved at Elland Road.
Bradley's return would be especially timely, as Joe Gomez will surely not be considered for a third start in the space of a week, although Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai are other options at right-back.
The latter could very well be rested anyway, allowing Mohamed Salah to return to his rightful place in attack, where Chiesa has surely done all he can for a rare start too.
As for the hosts, Farke should be working with an identical squad for the visit of Liverpool, only missing the stricken Daniel James (thigh) and Sean Longstaff (calf) for the visit of the champions.
After making the move to a 3-5-2 formation with astonishing results, Farke will surely see no need to disrupt the harmony on Saturday, when Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha should join forces up front again.
James Justin - only a substitute on Wednesday after taking a knock at the Etihad - will push for a recall, but neither Jayden Bogle nor Gabriel Gudmundsson should give up their places.
Leeds United possible starting lineup:
Perri; Rodon, Bijol, Struijk; Bogle, Stach, Tanaka, Ampadu, Gudmundsson; Calvert-Lewin, Nmecha
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Wirtz, Chiesa; Ekitike
We say: Leeds United 2-2 Liverpool
Liverpool could have had few complaints if Sunderland had prevailed in midweek, and confidently predicting which version of the Reds will show up on a weekly basis is a fool's errand.
One thing that is for certain is that Leeds could hardly be more fired up for the visit of the wounded holders, and they have every chance of claiming a point with their new, highly effective system, although their defensive frailties may prevent them from taking all three.
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