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Former Premier League manager Harry Redknapp believes Liverpool will fail to beat Leeds at Elland Road on Saturday.
It comes as pressure is building on under-fire manager Arne Slot. The Reds have won just two of their last nine games in the Premier League, suffering six defeats, casting speculation over the Dutchman's long-term future at Anfield. Liverpool's 1-1 draw against Sunderland, a newly-promoted team, at Anfield in midweek hasn't eased the pressure on Slot.
The Reds and their manager desperately need a win against Leeds, another team that was playing in the Championship last season. Yet Redknapp doesn't believe Liverpool will win on Saturday, despite Leeds sitting just two points above the drop zone.
"Boy, did Leeds need that win against Chelsea, and so did Daniel Farke!" Redknapp told football betting site BetVictor, referring to Leeds' midweek victory against Chelsea.
"That, hopefully, will give everyone a real lift and show they do belong at this level. They showed plenty of fight against City, too.
"This will be a tough away day for Liverpool. They rescued a point (against Sunderland), but I can’t exactly say Liverpool were any better than they’ve been of late. I keep saying it, it’s just so easy to create chances against them right now."
Redknapp believes Saturday's game between Leeds and Liverpool will finish 1-1. He added: "I’m going for a draw, and that’s just because surely Liverpool can’t lose yet another game. They might, though!"
Despite his pessimistic outlook for Liverpool, Redknapp is backing Florian Wirtz to produce another good game. The attacking midfielder, 22, has looked more comfortable in recent appearances and registered his first Premier League assist against Sunderland.
Wirtz was unlucky that his assist wasn't registered as a goal; the German's effort deflected off Nordi Mukiele, with the powers that be ruling it as an own goal.
Redknapp noted: "Florian Wirtz technically didn’t get his first goal the other night, but he had some good moments, and that should still give him a confidence boost. He’d have loved the goal, though!"
In terms of the title race, Redknapp is backing Manchester City to beat Sunderland 3-1 and Chelsea to drop more points at Bournemouth, drawing 2-2. He also thinks Arsenal will drop points at Aston Villa, predicting a 1-1 draw.
Redknapp continued: "This should be a good one, Emery loves facing his old side! Villa have had a fantastic month or so, that’s them up to third in the table, and they might even be in the title race at this rate.
"That was such a great game against Brighton the other night!
"As for Arsenal, they cruised to the win at home to Brentford, but I thought they would. This will be a test for them, though. They’ve drawn their last two games on the road. I’m going for a draw here, I think Villa can hurt Arsenal."
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