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Newly-crowned Premier League champions Liverpool were stunningly defeated 4-0 by Manchester City last night. However, they won’t have much time to recover as they face off with struggling Aston Villa at Anfield on Sunday. Jurgen Klopp’s men are still chasing Manchester City’s 100-point record, but suddenly it sounds a little trickier to reach. They now need 15 points from their final six games.
For Villa, meanwhile, anything from this game would be a bonus. They’re currently 18th in the table, one point from safety, but have only picked up two points since the season restarted.
So can they take anything from the champions?
Liverpool vs. Aston Villa Head-to-Head
Liverpool’s November win over Villa was one of their most dramatic of the season. Falling behind to a Trezeguet goal, the Reds had to wait until the 87th minute before Andrew Robertson found an equaliser.
Of course, as has been customary this season, just seven minutes later – deep into injury time – they also found a winner through Sadio Mane.
It is worth noting that Villa do hold a win over the Reds this season, but it comes with a caveat. Dean Smith’s men knocked Liverpool out of the Carabao Cup in December, but it was a much-changed Reds side as Jurgen Klopp dealt with multiple games in quick succession.
It’s hardly a surprise that coming into this game, Liverpool have been on the better run of form. Their loss to Manchester City was only their second of the campaign.
Villa meanwhile have not won a game in the Premier League since their defeat of Watford on January 21st. Their form has improved slightly since the restart – but has still led to two losses out of four games.
Historically, these two giants of the English game have played each other on nearly 200 occasions. Liverpool have 95 wins over Villa compared to 58 in the other direction.
Surprisingly though, despite Villa’s recent struggles, they haven’t done too badly against the Reds. Three of the last seven games between the two have been won by the Midlands side.
Liverpool form guide: W-L-D-W-L
Aston Villa form guide: L-D-L-D-L
Liverpool vs. Aston Villa Team News
Jurgen Klopp played what was practically a full-strength side against Manchester City last night. So while he doesn’t have many fitness issues, there is the chance that he could ring some changes for this match.
In terms of injuries, centre-back Joel Matip has been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign with a foot injury. And Xherdan Shaqiri will likely remain out too.
Injuries: Joel Matip, Xherdan Shaqiri
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
If Villa are indeed relegated, Dean Smith will probably point at injuries as one of the key reasons. Not only do the Villains still have striker Wesley and keeper Tom Heaton out, but there are now more issues too.
Central defender Bjorn Engels remains sidelined with an Achilles injury. And most recently, full-back Matt Targett has been ruled out with a damaged hamstring. However, it’s likely that Frederic Guilbert – returning from injury – will replace him.
Injuries: Wesley, Tom Heaton, Bjorn Engels, Matt Targett
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Liverpool vs. Aston Villa Predicted XI
Liverpool predicted XI (4-3-3): Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Virgil Van Dijk, Andrew Robertson, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Georginio Wijnaldum, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane
Aston Villa predicted XI (4-1-3-2): Pepe Reina, Frederic Guilbert, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Kortney Hause, Douglas Luiz, John McGinn, Jack Grealish, Marvelous Nakamba, Anwar El Ghazi, Mbwana Samatta
Liverpool vs. Aston Villa Prediction
The result of this game could depend on how Jurgen Klopp sees his side’s loss to Manchester City.
There’s a chance that the German uses this game to rest some key players – and if that happens, Villa are definitely in with a chance of stealing at least a point. They’ll be desperate for a point and will likely see this match as a free hit of sorts as nobody expects them to come away with anything.
However, if Klopp decides to push his team to send a message, then Dean Smith’s men could find themselves in trouble, particularly with the pace of Liverpool’s front three. With Manchester City’s 100-point mark still in view, I’m thinking the latter is more likely to happen.
Prediction: Liverpool 2-0 Aston Villa
