Preview: Liverpool vs Aston Villa – prediction, team news, line-up

Liverpool’s resurgence faces another stern test on Saturday as European hopefuls Aston Villa touch down at Anfield, and with this being their last home game, Liverpool FC tickets are bound to be in scant supply. If you are looking to attend, we recommend securing the tickets as soon as possible or look at available tickets for next weekend’s away game to Southampton. 

Last Monday’s 3-0 romping of relegation-battling Leicester City took the Reds’ eye-catching winning streak in the Premier League to seven matches.

Jurgen Klopp’s men continue to apply pressure on fourth-placed Manchester United, with only one point separating the sides at the start of this round. 

However, with the Red Devils boasting a game in hand, Liverpool are still likely to miss out on a seventh straight top-four finish, though they won’t give up until the final day. 

Visiting Villa could throw a spanner in the works as Unai Emery’s men chase their first European finish since 2009/10 on the back of last weekend’s 2-1 home triumph over Tottenham Hotspur.

Level on points with seventh-placed Spurs heading into the last two rounds, the Lions can ill-afford a slip-up, but their recent record at Anfield suggests it’s easier said than done.

Since a 1-0 win in 2014, they have lost their last four trips to Merseyside to take on Liverpool in the Premier League, including a 1-0 defeat in this corresponding fixture in 2021/22.

Adding to Emery’s worries, his men have faltered on the road lately, picking up just one win on their last three league travels, losing the last two in a row by an identical 1-0 scoreline.

Match Preview

Liverpool

Unbeaten in 11 consecutive league outings at Anfield (W9, D2) since a 2-1 loss to Leeds United in October, Liverpool have won the last four on the trot by a single-goal margin. 

On top of their outrageous home form, the Reds boast a formidable recent head-to-head record against Villa, winning nine of their last ten top-flight encounters (L1).

Klopp’s lads tend to sign out in style at Anfield, emerging victorious in their final home league matches across the last six Premier League seasons.

Since only Manchester City (59) and Arsenal (48) have netted more home goals than Liverpool (45) this season, the hosts should be confident about reinforcing their impressive home form.

Aston Villa

After arresting a two-game losing streak in the Premier League, Villa will be out to defy their paltry scoring return on the road, having netted just once on their last three league travels.

However, there’s an unwanted piece of history that could potentially haunt the Lions on Merseyside, as they’ve won their final away league game in just two of the last 20 seasons. 

Yet, delivering action from the get-go, Emery’s lads have netted 12 goals inside the opening 15 minutes of play, accounting for 25% of their total goal share in the Premier League.

It’s worth noting that only one of those goals has come on hostile turf.

Conceding first could prove detrimental to Villa’s hopes of stunning Anfield, considering they’ve racked up just one win in their ten away league games after falling behind (D2, L7).

Team News

Darwin Nunez, Stefan Bajcetic and Thiago Alcantara are unavailable for selection, while this fixture could come too soon for Naby Keita and Roberto Firimino. 

As for Villa, Emery has his entire squad fit and ready to take this trip.

Liverpool vs Aston Villa Potential Line-ups

Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson Becker; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Andy Robertson; Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Harvey Elliott; Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz.

Aston Villa (4-4-2): Emiliano Martinez; Alex Moreno, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Ashley Young; Douglas Luiz, Jacob Ramsey, John McGinn, Leon Bailey; Emiliano Buendia, Ollie Watkins. 

We Say: Liverpool 2-1 Aston Villa 

It’s been a while since Liverpool last looked this confident on the field, and with raucous Anfield support still believing in a miracle, we expect Klopp’s side to edge the Villans by a narrow margin.