Liverpool vs Leicester: Confirmed squad, predicted lineup, and injury updates for Premier League match

Liverpool will be without Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley for their Premier League encounter with Leicester on Boxing Day.

Both defenders have been unavailable since the impressive 2-0 Champions League victory over Real Madrid at Anfield on November 27.

Bradley, who filled in well for Trent Alexander-Arnold during that match, picked up a hamstring injury that was initially expected to sideline him for several weeks.

Konate, who also started the game and played the full 90 minutes, was seen limping after the final whistle due to a knee issue sustained from a challenge by Real substitute Endrick.

Like Bradley, Konate’s recovery was expected to take several weeks.

Before Sunday’s thrilling 6-3 win over Tottenham, Liverpool manager Arne Slot provided an update on the pair, saying: “These are the two that are still ‘in the red’, so they don’t train with us at the moment. They are on their way back but they don’t train with the team yet.”

When asked about their potential return, Slot added: “That is, what I’ve said before, quite difficult. We thought, I thought, that [Diogo] Jota would have been back a bit earlier already and sometimes the end stage of rehab takes a bit longer.

“Sometimes they join [training] and then they are like, ‘I’m not completely ready to start yet.’ So, let’s wait and see but we have very good rehab personnel over here and they’ve done some good work already with Alisson [Becker] and a few others.

“The main thing is that if they come back, they are ready to come back and we must not focus on one, two or three days. It’s more important for the long term that they stay fit afterwards.

“Until now they have done really well and hopefully with Conor and Ibou the same thing happens.”

Alexander-Arnold has fully recovered from his hamstring issue and reclaimed his spot at right-back, while Joe Gomez continues to cover for Konate at centre-back alongside captain Virgil van Dijk.

There are no new injury concerns for Liverpool following the dramatic win at Spurs, so a similar lineup is expected for the Boxing Day match against Leicester, who are currently in 17th place, just two points above the relegation zone. Under manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, Leicester have struggled this season, winning only three of their 17 matches so far, suffering heavy defeats to Newcastle and Wolves.

Liverpool, sitting at the top of the Premier League, could extend their lead to seven points if they beat Leicester and Chelsea drop points in their home match against Fulham earlier that day. Slot might consider making some changes to keep his squad fresh for what looks like a straightforward game, part of a busy festive period that also includes matches against West Ham and Manchester United, plus a Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham.

Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota, Harvey Elliott, and Darwin Nunez all came off the bench against Tottenham and will be hoping to start against either Leicester or West Ham. Summer signing Federico Chiesa will also be looking to play his first Premier League minutes since September, having featured as a substitute in the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Southampton but not being included in the squad for the Tottenham game.

Wataru Endo will also be eager to seize an opportunity, while Jarell Quansah and Kostas Tsimikas provide further options for Slot if he decides to rotate his defensive lineup.

Predicted Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Jones, Jota; Nunez

Injured: Bradley (hamstring), Konate (knee)

Time and date: 8pm GMT on Thursday, December 26, 2024

Venue: Anfield, Liverpool

Referee: Darren Bond

How to watch: Amazon Prime Video