MatchThe opposition lowdown: Leicester City

Recent form

Leicester have won one, drawn one and lost three of their last five Premier League matches before heading to Anfield.

The Foxes were beaten 3-0 at home last time out by Wolverhampton Wanderers, which followed a 4-0 defeat on the road at Newcastle United.

Previously, they played out a 2-2 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion, claimed a 3-1 victory over West Ham United and lost 4-1 at Brentford.

New boss Ruud van Nistelrooy took over on November 29, replacing Steve Cooper.

Ones to watch

Jamie Vardy is Leicester's top scorer in the Premier League this term, having netted six goals so far.

The striker also has three assists to his name, while Facundo Buonanotte has also proved pivotal, scoring four goals and claiming two assists.

Wilfred Ndidi, however, has been the Foxes' key playmaker to date, delivering the final decisive pass on four occasions in the top flight.

What was said

Van Nistelrooy, Leicester head coach

"We look [at the opponent] every game. We prepare every game to get a result and to get a win. That won't change. We know where we are compared to Liverpool. We have to be realistic and you have to know where you are and what you're capable of when you analyse an opponent and are creating a game plan.

"That is what it starts with and you look at possibilities to go for our maximum performance. We have to perform within our capabilities and that is the task. It's a big one for Thursday."

Previous meetings

The two teams last came together in September 2023 in the Carabao Cup, when Leicester were a Championship outfit.

Liverpool claimed a 3-1 victory at Anfield – with goals from Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai and Diogo Jota settling the third-round tie.

In the season prior, the Reds also secured two wins over the Foxes in the Premier League, a 3-0 success away from home following a 2-1 home result.

Pre-match stats

Vardy has scored eight Premier League goals against Liverpool, with only Andrew Cole (11) and Harry Kane (nine) netting more against the Reds in the competition. At the age of 37 years and 350 days, Vardy would be the oldest player to score a Premier League goal against the Reds with a goal in this game.

Leicester have won just two of their last 12 Premier League games against Liverpool (one draw, nine defeats).

The Foxes have won just one of their last 10 Boxing Day league games (two draws, seven losses), with that coming in 2018-19 against eventual champions Manchester City.

The view from Leicester

Rob Tanner, Leicester City correspondent at The Athletic

"It has been a very disruptive time at Leicester since they secured promotion back to the Premier League. They lost influential manager Enzo Maresca to Chelsea and his successor, Steve Cooper, struggled to connect with the players, who had thrived under Maresca, and the Leicester fanbase.

"Cooper only got a dozen games and although they were outside the bottom three, the club's hierarchy felt the team were not moving in the right direction and decided to make an early change, bringing in Ruud van Nistelrooy.

"Like Maresca, Van Nistelrooy could be seen as a huge gamble as he has had limited experience as a manager, with just one season at PSV Eindhoven and four games as caretaker at Manchester United, but Van Nistelrooy plays a similar brand of football to Maresca. They were both teammates at Malaga and remain close friends.

"However, despite victory over West Ham United and a home draw with Brighton & Hove Albion, Leicester's defensive frailties have been exposed in the last two games, with a 4-0 defeat at Newcastle followed by a humbling 3-0 home loss to relegation rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers.

"The transfer window is set to open, and Leicester will be expected to do some business to strengthen the squad, but Van Nistelrooy still faces a huge task to keep Leicester in the Premier League."