Former Premier League stars Peter Crouch and Steve Sidwell were split when asked for their prediction for the crucial game between Leeds United and Liverpool.
Leeds United have built some newfound momentum in their Premier League survival campaign after two promising performances on the bounce.
The changes Daniel Farke made at half-time of the game against Manchester City were followed by an important victory against Chelsea, as Leeds look to climb out of relegation trouble.
Mark Viduka was the hero in Leeds’ last home Premier League win over this weekend’s opponents, Liverpool, which highlights the length of time that the Elland Road crowd has been forced to wait for a win.
Now, Crouch and Sidwell have shared their different predictions over Leeds’ hopes of ending their barren run for a victory against the defending Premier League champions.
Prediction time for Leeds United v Liverpool 🔮
Peter Crouch backs Leeds United to claim a win over Liverpool
Speaking on That Peter Crouch Podcast, former Liverpool forward Crouch backed Leeds to pick up a surprise win to continue their recent momentum.
Leeds will have the Elland Road crowd behind them for a second consecutive game, and Crouch believes this will play an important role in the outcome.
“I think certainly at home. Leeds at home versus Liverpool. There’s some atmosphere there. I think this will be a tough game. Crouch said, “I hate doing this, but I’m gonna go for Leeds 2-1.”
He added: “I don’t think they’re out of it yet. I don’t want this to happen, but you know, I’ll be happy in both ways because, you know, I want Liverpool to win this game.
“I just think it’d be a difficult place to go. And I don’t think they’re quite out of the woods yet. I think West Ham are a poor side at the moment.”
However, Sidwell disagreed with his assessment, backing Liverpool to claim an away win. He said: “I should really go for a draw. I just fancy Liverpool.”
- READ MORE: Gary Neville names the three Leeds players he thinks are just too weak for the Premier League
Opta predicts Leeds United defeat against Liverpool
Although Leeds come into the game on a high after their win against Chelsea, Liverpool are still the favourites heading into the game.
The fitness of Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin could be key to their chances, as Farke admitted both were carrying niggles at the end of the game against Chelsea.
Leeds United have a poor recent track record against Liverpool 🤦
- Leeds’ last home Premier League win over Liverpool came in November 2000, when Mark Viduka scored all four goals
- Leeds have won just one of their last 12 Premier League games against Liverpool
- Liverpool won their last two games against Leeds 6-0 and 6-1
- Leeds last won back-to-back Premier League games in November 2022, one of which was a win over Liverpool
- Leeds have just three wins over Liverpool in the Premier League era
Leeds’ win over the Blues has done nothing to convince data experts Opta that Farke’s side can claim another important victory in their hunt for Premier League survival.
According to their latest prediction, Liverpool have a 55.8% chance of securing a win at Elland Road. By contrast, Leeds are given a 22.1% chance of taking all three points, with the draw given the same probability.
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox
