Off we go at Anfield!

Luke Reddy
BBC Sport at Anfield

The street salesmen waste no time in these parts. The Luis ‘Lucho’ Diaz scarf has been knitted and is yours for a few quid.

Kopites will hope he settles in as quickly as these traders take a product to market.

Image source, BBC Sport

BBC Radio 5 Live

Throw on Radio 5 Live for the Liverpool v Leicester game.

Wolves v Arsenal is on Radio 5 Live Sports Extra.

After losing each of their first four Premier League games against Arsenal at Molineux, Wolves have won two of their past three.

Arsenal have scored in each of their last 27 games against Wolves in all competitions.

Following victories in their first three league matches in 2022 against Manchester United, Southampton and Brentford, Wolves are looking to win four consecutive top-flight matches for the first time since January 1972.

Image source, BBC Sport

Arsenal

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta to BT Sport: "We tried to maximise the time [18 days since their last game] to train, to rest and to analyse what we've done and put a real purpose in the final part of the season.

"Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey link the team together. They have the right qualities to play the roles we demand them to. They are vital in the way we play.

"Wolves are really well organsied, really compact. They don’t concede chances. We have to play with the right urgency and rhythm.

"We always play with the mindset to attack and score goals."

Liverpool

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to BT Sport: "We just had a look at who was available, how we could line-up and what Leiceter might do.

"The speed of Luis Diaz, especially with Mo Salah not in, made a lot of sense. Jordan Henderson has some back problems, not massive, but not enough to be involved tonight. It's a strong line-up. I like it."

On Mo Salah being on the bench: "It was not his choice! It was my decision of course, but it was completely fine. It is understood. He is here to contribute and he will come on, definitely.

"But coming back from a major tournament... come on, at some point we have to think a little bit. We have to be cautious. Sadio Mane got back last night and is still in bed!"

Micah Richards
Former England defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

Leicester haven't been themselves all season, injuries have played a big part and you try and go into depth about it but sometimes it is just about confidence. They look shot at the moment.

We were talking about Caglar Soyuncu as one of the best centre-backs when he first joined, now he is absolutely atrocious. I don't understand what he is doing.

James Justin is just coming back from injury so it is going to be difficult for him to get upto speed but the amount of goals they concede from set-pieces, it is not the Leicester we know and love.

I don't like to see them like this, they are better than they are showing at the moment.

Wolves

Wolves boss Bruno Lage to BT Sport: "Francisco Trincao can offer different things. Wingers are more threat than the midfielders.

"I challenge the players since the beginning. Now we're on 34 points, comfortable in the league but we want more. Today what I ask them is put everything into the game.

"They work hard in training. The pressure's on for today against a strong team. If we win we can get a different position in the league but the most important thing is the guys do the things they are in training."

Liverpool

Jordan Chamberlain, Empire of the Kop, speaking to BBC Sport:

In just over 30 minutes of FA Cup football, Harvey Elliott reminded us of the brilliance Liverpool have missed since his promising start to the campaign.

The 18-year-old hadn't played since his horror ankle injury at Leeds in September, but recovered ahead of schedule and put in a terrific cameo in the 3-1 victory over Cardiff, scoring his first goal in front of the Kop to boot.

Back in August, Elliott made two 90 minute Premier League appearances in the midfield three, ahead of the world-class Thiago, demonstrating the faith Jurgen Klopp has in his ability. The last teenage playmaker the German rated so highly was Mario Gotze.

When Elliott came on, everything went through him. Liverpool's best players trust him in possession and we far had more control and fluency than with Curtis Jones and Naby Keita beforehand.

Whisper it quietly, but Elliott has the potential, pizzazz and confidence to be Liverpool's very own Phil Foden.

Leicester City

More from Brendan Rodgers on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall: "He is a young player who I am really liking what I'm seeing.

"We missed him on the weekend because I gave him a rest. We missed his energy and mobility so it's good to have him back."

Image source, Getty Images

Leicester City

Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers to BT Sport: "It's natural when you have a disappointing result to want to react. What better place to come? We play against a top team and hope to show that resilience.

"We want to give it a new energy. Tonight is very important. The two guys who are playing in the back four kept a clean sheet the last time we played Liverpool.

"When you look at the [Liverpool] squad it's a fantastic squad. They have won consistently in the last few years. It's always a tough game. It's a big challenge but we'll relish it."

Wolves

Mike Taylor, BBC Radio WM:

Opportunity does not always knock when we are best placed to take advantage. That is the situation for Wolves at the start of a run of fixtures that could, if things went especially well, change the club’s medium-term future.

Their remaining league games this month are mainly against other contenders for Europe: Arsenal twice, Tottenham, Leicester and West Ham. Win most of those, and Wolves will be in the top six, possibly even the top four; struggle, and the European chance will probably be gone for another year.

The squad is still not as strong as it could be. Francisco Trincao may return tonight, and perhaps Hwang Hee-Chan, potentially even Jonny, but the longer the absence, the longer it might take for those players to reach their highest performance. Others – most especially Pedro Neto – are still a little further away. Not ideal, but the moment will not wait for Wolves; they must adapt and make the most of the resources that are available.

Bruo Lage suggests that tonight’s game will see both sides fighting hard to establish control of possession. No doubt both he and Mikel Arteta will have set out tactical plans with their usual care, determined that their team should dictate terms. It may be, however, a night when emotions overwhelm strategy. Molineux has seen a few of those in recent years, and the atmosphere will be fierce to start with – it will be up to Wolves to play well enough to keep it that way.

Lage said that in recent days he challenged his players on whether they were content with their achievements so far, asking his players: “What do you want? ‘I play in the Premier League,’ or you can put your career, your team, your club at the next level. It’s up to you to come with that mentality. That’s my mentality.”

Lage demands, and Molineux expects.

No Mohamed Salah or Jamie Vardy in the starting XIs in a Liverpool v Leicester game just feels... weird.

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool have lost their past two Premier League games against Leicester.

But the Reds are unbeaten in their last 14 Premier League games at Anfield and have won their last five in a row.

Leicester have taken the lead but failed to win in their past two Premier League games (D1 L1).

Image source, BBC Sport

Micah Richards
Former England defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

This all started in September when Youri Tielemans gave an interview to Sky Sports, external saying "I'm not saying I'm going to sign".

Hold on, Leicester brought you over here, gave you a massive chance, put you in the spotlight and for him to decide that.

If he doesn't want to sign with Leicester, there is a way of doing it, don't do it in an interview. I thought that was massively disrespectful to his team-mates.

Brendan Rodgers has backed him before saying he is a great lad with a great attitude, but there was no need for him to give that interview. I don't understand it.

If you are going to give those sorts of interviews, you have to make sure you are the best player every single week because if you are not playing well you know how it is going to be perceived. He might as well have kept his mouth shut, he was Leicester's best player last season and I thought he could get to world class levels.

This season he has been the shadow of a player and you do start believing the hype when you get linked with Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid, it can turn your head.

Brendan Rodgers have made him the player he is today, he took his game to the next level.

Liverpool

Image source, Getty Images

Jurgen Klopp said Joel Matip is one of Liverpool's "best ever free transfers".

Matip joined the Reds in 2016 from Schalke but his last two seasons have been disrupted by injury.

This campaign, he has stayed fit and cemented his place alongside Virgil van Dijk in the Liverpool defence.

"Centre-half is a really important position for us with how we play. We need really good players there and we have had too many injuries in that position.

"Joel is an outstanding player and I think it would be a really close race with [James Milner] for the best signing on a free transfer.

"What we have reached in the last few years would not have happened without them."

Wolves

Image source, Getty Images

Wolves manager Bruno Lage has likened Jonny Otto’s latest comeback from injury to a Formula One driver returning after a major crash.

"It is like a F1 pilot. He might have a big accident but when he is back inside the car, he forgets everything. He wants to go. It is the same here.

"These guys enjoy competition. When the players go on the pitch, to train or play, they forget everything.

"What I want for Jonny is better luck than he had in the past."

Arsenal

Image source, Getty Images

With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gone, Arsenal only have two strikers at the club.

But Mikel Arteta does not believe they are light up front.

"We have Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah who are more than capable of scoring.

"I trust the players I have. We can play with a false nine, with two nines, with many different kinds of nines."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says 'I saw myself as the solution not the problem' when it came to the relationship he had with former captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who moved to Barcelona in January.

Adam Crafton
Reporter for The Athletic on BBC Radio 5 Live

How many times over the last couple of years have we said, when the Africa Cup of Nations come along Liverpool will be in huge trouble? It has just not played out like that.

Apart from the Arsenal games, the fixtures have been as kind as they could be for Liverpool. What has been really impressive is that they have been really focussed defensively this month.

They have given themselves the best possible chance with the foundation they have and not giving up goals.

With Diogo Jota, I would be interested to know from Jurgen Klopp that if the Champions League final took place tomorrow, would he start or would it be Roberto Firmino? I think Jota is ahead of Firmino now, his consistency, the types of goals he scores, the workrate makes him more dangerous than Firmino. They have added to that with Luis Diaz too now.