Liverpool eyeing four-game winning run as Leeds visit.
Liverpool vs. Leeds begins at 17:30 [GMT] on Thursday, January 1, 2026, at Anfield.
Fourth-placed Liverpool will welcome Leeds United to Anfield on New Year’s Day. Recent meetings between these sides have rarely been short on entertainment. Liverpool have scored 19 goals across their last five Premier League games against Leeds (W3 D1 L1), including December’s dramatic 3–3 draw at Elland Road, where the Reds surrendered a two-goal lead. That remains the highest-scoring draw between the clubs in league history, underlining the chaos that can follow when these two meet. The calendar has tended to favor the hosts. Liverpool have won five of their last six Premier League matches played on New Year’s Day (D1), with their last defeat on 1 January coming as far back as 2005. While the Reds have been inconsistent in opening the year strongly overall, they remain unbeaten in their last nine first league games of the year at Anfield (W6 D3), suggesting home advantage plays a decisive role in these fixtures. Liverpool arrive with growing momentum. They have won their last three Premier League matches [DDWWW]. With stability gradually returning to Arne Slot’s side, extending that three-game winning run would be a title-chasing statement worthy of note. Individual confidence is also rising. Florian Wirtz has begun to make his mark after a slow start, registering a goal and an assist across his last two league appearances, while Cody Gakpo has scored in Liverpool’s first league game of the calendar year in each of the last two seasons. Another strike would place him alongside Ian Rush as the only Reds player to do so three years in a row. A 4—2—3—1 formation with Ekitike in attack is expected against the Whites.
Anfield has generally been a difficult venue for Leeds, though there is a recent reminder of what’s possible. Leeds won 2–1 on their last league visit in October 2022, but they have never managed consecutive away league wins against Liverpool in their history. More broadly, Leeds have won just one of their last 16 away top-flight matches against reigning champions, highlighting the scale of the challenge awaiting them. The Whites’ New Year’s Day record is more mixed. They have won just one of their last six league matches on 1 January (D3 L2), though this will be their first Premier League fixture on the date since 2003. Interestingly, January itself has been kind to Leeds, who are unbeaten in their last 10 league games played in the month (W6 D4), a run bettered only by Arsenal among teams in the top four tiers. A 3—5—2 formation with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Okafor in attack is expected against Liverpool.