Paul Merson agrees with Chris Sutton on Liverpool vs Leeds prediction

Liverpool will be aiming to extend its unbeaten run to eight games as it faces Leeds in its first game of 2026, with the pundits backing the Reds to make a perfect start to the year

Paul Merson has backed Liverpool to beat Leeds on New Year's Day(Image: Sky Sports)

Liverpool has been backed to make the perfect start to 2026, with both Paul Merson and Chris Sutton predicting a win for the Reds against Leeds.

Arne Slot’s players will be aiming to make it eight games unbeaten across all competitions as they begin the New Year by hosting Daniel Farke’s side at Anfield on Thursday.

The Reds have moved back into the Premier League’s top four after a run of three straight wins against Brighton, Tottenham and Wolves, although their performances still haven’t eased the worries that have been present throughout the season, with their record on defending set-pieces the worst in Europe’s top five leagues.

They’ll be aiming to put that right in the New Year and make up for the disappointment they suffered at Elland Road just a few weeks ago.

Liverpool surrendered leads of 2-0 and 3-2 to eventually draw 3-3 against Leeds earlier this month. Since then, Farke’s team has gone unbeaten with draws against Brentford and Sunderland either side of a 4-1 win over Crystal Palace.

Merson though doesn’t expect Liverpool to make the same mistake again. Predicting a 3-1 win for the Reds, the former Arsenal star told Sportskeeda: “Leeds have turned a corner now and Liverpool are finding some form. Both teams will feel confident ahead of this game. The last time they met was a few weeks ago and Leeds produced an incredible performance in a 3-3 draw at Elland Road.

Liverpool is looking to make it eight games unbeaten against Leeds(Image: Getty Images)

“Including that draw, Leeds have two wins and three draws in their last five games. Even though they drew the last game against Sunderland, I think they deserved to win that one! Leeds are on a roll now.

“If Liverpool win this and beat Fulham away, and Arsenal drop points against Aston Villa and lose to them at Emirates in a couple of weeks, they would have gained five points on the Gunners. But Liverpool must not think too ahead, they need to take care of the next two games first.”

Former Blackburn and Chelsea forward Sutton didn’t quite go as far as Merson with his scoreline, although he still backed Liverpool for a 2-1 win when making his predictions for BBC Sport.

“I correctly backed Leeds to get a point when these sides met at Elland Road a few weeks back, but this is at Anfield and, besides that, Liverpool look a lot more confident now,” Sutton said.

Chris Sutton has predicted a 2-1 win for Liverpool against Leeds(Image: Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)

“This is a different Leeds, too, of course. They have got real belief at the moment and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has scored seven goals in six games, is going to be hard to stop.

“But Florian Wirtz seems to be coming to the fore for Liverpool now and they are building their confidence back up.

“Arne Slot's side are back up to fourth place and although when you watch them you can see they have still got weaknesses in their team, I'm expecting them to make it four league wins in a row here.

“It is not actually impossible that they could be back in the title race soon, either. After this game, Slot's side travel to Fulham and Arsenal next week so let's see where they are then.”