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2022/23 English Premier League
Matchday 31
Leeds United v Liverpool
Elland Road
Leeds, England
Monday, 17 April 2023
Kick-off is at 21h00
Liverpool will be desperately seeking a return to winning ways in the
Premier League when they lock horns with Leeds at Elland Road on Monday, April 17.
The Reds battled back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with league leaders Arsenal at Anfield last Sunday, although they will consider it two points dropped after Mohamed Salah missed a 54th-minute penalty.
Jurgen Klopp's side are now winless in their last four games since thrashing Manchester United 7-0 on March 5, having lost against Bournemouth (1-0) and Manchester City (4-1) before playing out to a goalless stalemate with Chelsea.
The Merseyside giants find themselves 12 points adrift of the UEFA Champions League places in eighth position and they will be hard pressed to even qualify for the Europa League.
Brighton are two points better off in seventh spot with a game in hand, while Aston Villa (6th) are making a late charge for European football after embarking on a seven-match unbeaten run under Unai Emery to close within six points of Tottenham (5th).
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The Whites will be smarting after suffering a heavy 5-1 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace last Sunday, having won two of their previous three games to give themselves hope of staying up.
Javi Gracia's team are just two points clear of the relegation zone in 16th place and they could edge closer to safety by repeating their feat at Anfield earlier this season when they pulled off a shock 2-1 win.
It was their first victory over Liverpool in the top flight 13 April 2001, which also saw them triumph 2-1 on Merseyside.
Rodrigo has been the standout player at Elland Road this season, bagging 11 goals in 23 league outings - already his best return in a Whites shirt. The Spaniard was sorely missed earlier this year when injury ruled him out for six games and he's still working his way back to full fitness after making five appearances from the bench.
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Darwin Nunez has largely impressed on his debut season at Anfield, although niggling injuries have prevented him from getting an extended run in the first team. The Uruguayan striker has netted eight goals in 23 league games but last found the back of the net against the Red Devils when he bagged a brace.
In team news, Gracia continues to be without Maximillian Wober, Stuart Dallas, Tyler Adams (all thigh) and Adam Forshaw (groin), while Calvin Ramsay, Luis Diaz (both knee), Stefan Bajcetic, Thiago Alcantara (both groin) and Naby Keita remain unavailable to Klopp.
Gracia expressed his disappointment with the second-half performance against the Eagles after seeing Patrick Bamford open the scoring in the 21st minute before Marc Guehi's 45th-minute equaliser changed the momentum of the match.
"We have to be really disappointed because the second half was very bad and the result as well," the Spaniard said. "For us it is difficult to accept this result but of course it is only a game. We try to keep a positive mentality for the next [one] and try to keep going."
Klopp admits the confidence levels of his players have suffered as a result of their inconsistent displays this term and he insists addressing the situation will take some time.
"We lack consistency and confidence, these are the two things and now why don't you have confidence? Because we don't have enough positive moments and if you have them then you don't build on them or you misunderstand them," the German said.
"So, we have these ups and downs in games and over the season. That's something we didn't have ever before, since six or seven years, but we have it this year and that's obviously the situation we are going through.
"It's not cool, it's not something we wanted, but we go through this and I said it before the game: you don't sort it overnight. That's what we learned, obviously."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Leeds - 1
Liverpool - 3
Draws - 1
Matchday 31 fixtures:
Saturday, April 15
13h30: Aston Villa v Newcastle United
16h00: Chelsea v Brighton & Hove Albion
16h00: Everton v Fulham
16h00: Southampton v Crystal Palace
16h00: Tottenham Hotspur v Bournemouth
16h00: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Brentford
18h30: Manchester City v Leicester City
Sunday, April 16
15h00: West Ham United v Arsenal
17h30: Nottingham Forest v Manchester United
Monday, April 17
21h00: Leeds United v Liverpool
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