Liverpool vs Leeds Prediction: Ekitike to bring in the new year at Anfield

New Year's Day delivers a potential belter for us to enjoy as Liverpool welcome Leeds United to Anfield (17:30 GMT, live on Sky Sports Main Event).

The two sides met at the start of December to play out a thrilling 3-3 draw at Elland Road, and given the recent revival of both sides, we should expect further entertainment here. Read on for my Liverpool vs Leeds prediction, as well as the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Cody Gakpo suffered a muscle injury in the 3-3 draw at Elland Road that saw him miss the next two matches, however, the Dutchman came off the bench with four minutes to go in Liverpool's win over Wolves on Saturday, so he should be fit enough to feature here.

Dominik Szoboszlai will return to the side after being suspended at the weekend due to picking up his fifth booking of the campaign against Spurs. Jeremie Frimpong will retain his place in the side after being handed just his second start of the season against Wolves.

Alexander Isak and Giovanni Leoni both remain long-term absentees for the Reds.

As for Leeds, Lukas Nmecha returned from a three-game absence in Sunday's meeting with Sunderland and he could provide Daniel Farke with a spark off the bench again on Thursday.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has netted in six consecutive Premier League outings after his goal at the weekend, so expect him to lead the line at Anfield.

Liverpool vs Leeds Odds

Liverpool are 8/15 favourites for Thursday's clash, giving them an implied win probability of 65.2%, the draw is 7/2 and a Leeds win is 5/1.

Both teams to score is 8/11 and over 2.5 goals is currently available at 8/13.

Liverpool to win and over 2.5 goals @ 11/10

This fixture tends to deliver entertainment and goals, even with Leeds dropping into the Championship for a few seasons.

As mentioned in the introduction, the sides played out a six-goal thriller at the start of last month, and two of the previous four contests between the pair saw Liverpool scoring six with Jesse Marsch's Leeds somehow securing victory at Anfield in between.

The visitors have used the aforementioned draw from last month to kickstart their campaign, and come into this game five games unbeaten - a run which includes a 3-1 win over Chelsea and a 4-1 thrashing of Crystal Palace, which has pushed them seven points clear of the relegation places.

Similarly, Liverpool looked to have turned a corner in recent weeks and have won their last three league matches, after a dismal run of form which saw them win just two of their previous 10.

Only Manchester City (13) have seen more games go over 2.5 goals than both Leeds and Liverpool (12) this season, so goals certainly look to be on offer at Anfield. The Reds have conceded in 13 of their 18 league tussles, with Leeds also managing just two clean sheets this term.

Despite some of their underwhelming performances this season, I still fancy the Reds to get the job done at Anfield - but Leeds will make life difficult.

Hugo Ekitike to score first @ 11/4

With Mohamed Salah away at the Africa Cup of Nations and summer signing Alexander Isak injured, much of the goalscoring burden lies firmly at the feet of Hugo Ekitike.

The Frenchman has been excellent since his arrival in the summer, recording seven goals and three assists in the Premier League. In fact, the 23-year-old has bagged four goals in his last five - and he netted twice in the 3-3 draw with Leeds last month.

I don't like his anytime goalscorer price of 4/5, so let's back him to break the deadlock at Anfield at 11/4.

Offers

Double Delight & Hat-trick Heaven

Pre-match single on First Goalscorer market in selected games. Paid in cash upon market settlement. 90 mins only. T&Cs Apply.

Sports Welcome Offer

New customers only. Deposit via Debit Card & place first bet £10+ (1/1+) on Sports in 7 days. £30 Sports & £20 Acca Free Bets within 10 hrs of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility, payment excl. & T&Cs Apply.

Click here for the latest Football Odds and Today's Football Fixtures