Liverpool take on Leeds United under the lights at Elland Road as the Reds look to keep their faint and fading top four hopes from flatlining completely while their opponents cast a nervous glance over their shoulders at the relegation zone as the Lillywhites sit just two points clear of the drop in 16th but have a game in hand on the four sides behind them, including 17th-place Everton who are currently avoiding the drop thanks to a superior goal differential versus Nottingham Forest.
For the Reds, top four would mean catching Newcastle at the moment, and if they win tonight they will be nine points behind having both played 30 games—meaning that even if they win, they would need three more victories over the final eight games to even draw level on points. Which is to say that realistically, Liverpool aren’t going to make the top four. For the fans and players, though, while there are games there’s hope. But they absolutely have to win here to even keep that probably delusional fanish hope alive.