Liverpool kick off the new year with a Premier League showdown against Leeds United at Anfield on Thursday, in a match with an unusual late afternoon start time.
How to watch Liverpool vs Leeds on TV and online
The fixture, scheduled for Thursday, 1st January, has a 5.30pm kick-off, a departure from the more traditional evening or lunchtime slots. For fans in the UK, the match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Ultra HDR.
Coverage typically begins an hour before the game starts, featuring pre-match analysis and the latest team news. Subscribers who prefer to stream the action can do so via the Sky Go app.
For those without a Sky subscription, the game can be accessed by purchasing a daily or monthly sports pass through NOW TV.
Team news and injury concerns
Liverpool manager Arne Slot faces significant selection headaches. The Reds will be without star forward Mohamed Salah, who is away on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.
The injury list is also concerning, with Alexander Isak, Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni all ruled out. There is also a major doubt over the availability of midfielder Florian Wirtz.
Leeds United travel to Merseyside without key defender Joe Rodon, who is sidelined with an ankle injury. However, they will be boosted by the red-hot form of striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has scored in each of his last six Premier League matches.
Context and what's at stake
This encounter comes less than a month after a thrilling 3-3 draw at Elland Road on 6th December. On that occasion, Leeds snatched a dramatic point thanks to Ao Tanaka's 96th-minute equaliser, cancelling out a Liverpool side that had led twice.
In the league table, Liverpool sit fourth and are determined to secure a victory to maintain pressure on the teams above them in the race for Champions League qualification.
Leeds, currently 16th in the Premier League, arrive after a hard-earned 1-1 draw at Sunderland. Securing any kind of result at the formidable Anfield would provide a massive boost to their hopes of climbing away from the relegation battle.
For Slot and his Liverpool squad, this home game represents a crucial opportunity to gather points during the demanding winter schedule and keep pace with the league's frontrunners.
