Liverpool face Leeds United at Anfield on Thursday evening, in their first game of 2026.
Arne Slot‘s Reds may not be playing the best football just lately, but they have won their last four games in all competitions and the summer signings are starting to shine.
After throwing away a victory at Elland Road in that dramatic 3-3 draw on 6th December, Liverpool will be intent on making sure they secure all three points on Thursday.
We crunch the numbers ahead of the big game…
Liverpool have scored 19 goals in their last five Premier League matches against Leeds (W3 D1 L1), although they let a 2-0 lead slip to draw 3-3 at Elland Road in December, their highest scoring draw ever with the Whites.
Leeds beat Liverpool 2-1 in their last away league game against Liverpool in October 2022. They’ve never won consecutive visits to the Reds in their league history.
Liverpool have won five of their last six Premier League games on New Year’s Day (D1), with their last defeat coming at home to Chelsea back in 2005.
Liverpool have started the year with a league win in just three of the last 11 years (D4 L4), although they haven’t lost their first game of the year when it’s been at Anfield on any of the last nine occasions (W6 D3).
Liverpool have won their last three Premier League games, having won just two of their previous 10 beforehand (D2 L6).
Having failed to score or assist a goal in any of his first 15 Premier League appearances, Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz has now scored (1) or assisted (1) in his last two. He last registered a goal involvement in more consecutive league games in November/December last year (a run of six with Bayer Leverkusen).
Cody Gakpo has scored in Liverpool’s first Premier League game of each of the last two calendar years, netting against Newcastle and Man Utd. The last Reds player to score in their first league game three years in a row was Ian Rush in 1985, 1986 and 1987.
