Aston Villa host Premier League leaders Liverpool on Wednesday evening looking to give their hopes of finishing in the top four a kickstart. The Reds, meanwhile, are eager to extend their lead at the summit in the midst of a difficult run of fixtures. There’s plenty up for grabs during this rearranged clash at Villa Park.
By Sam McGuire
Why now?
This match was originally scheduled for the weekend of March 15/16, but Liverpool’s participation in the Carabao Cup final on March 16 meant the game against Villa had to be rearranged.
The hosts had requested for this game to be pushed back and played later on in the campaign but this, much to their frustration, was refused.
It means, when factoring in the FA Cup fixtures, Villa will end up playing a total of seven matches during February, while the club is set to play just one Premier League match during March.
Liverpool, meanwhile, will go from having a game in hand just one week ago to having played a game more than their title rivals.
Aston Villa’s stuttering form
Aston Villa claimed a fourth place finish last term and had been tipped for a similar sort of season this time around. However, Unai Emery’s men now find themselves in ninth position after a stop-start season.
They have won just two of their last seven across all competitions and these victories came against Celtic in the Champions League and Spurs in the FA Cup. They have lost against relegation threatened Wolves during this run while also only managing to pick up draws against Ipswich Town and West Ham United.
Against the Tractor Boys, they were up against 10-men for an entire half but couldn’t overcome the visitors. They did deserve to win the game though, racking up 25 shots to four, six big chances to zero and finishing with an xG of 2.42.
If they are to get anything from this game against the Premier League leaders, they’ll need to be at their best. Something they’ve struggled to do this term.
Are the Reds running out of steam?
Liverpool have been fortunate to have a number of key player remain fit this season. But this is a blessing and a curse. Why? Because these key players have now racked up a lot of football and appear to be feeling it in their legs.
Against Wolves on Sunday, the Reds looked brilliant in the first half but then appeared to be completely out of gas after the break. They didn’t manage a single shot, at home, in the second 45 minutes. Wolves, meanwhile, dominated things. The away side had more possession and out-shot their hosts 10-0. Had they managed to score an equaliser, few in red could’ve complained.
Against Everton on Wednesday, Liverpool conceded a 98th minute equaliser having allowed their hosts to come back into the game during the final moments of the match. It felt like deja vu against Wolves. They were fortunate not to suffer a similar fate.
A repeat of that performance this time around, at Villa Park, could end in defeat. Unai Emery’s side have the players to hurt Liverpool, even with their many, many injuries.
The Mo Salah farewell tour continues
It is feast or famine for Salah at Villa Park.
The Liverpool attacker scored twice in the 7-2 loss during the 2020/21 campaign and then scored and assisted in the 3-1 win over the Villans during the 2022/23 season. Outside of that, though, he’s blanked in three away games.
The Premier League leaders will be hoping the three-time Golden Boot winner is once again feasting at Villa Park this week. He heads into the game in fine form too. He currently has seven in his last six across all competitions and has at least one goal involvement in each of his last six matches for the Reds.
Prediction
Villa are without a host of names, with Emery unable to call upon the likes of Amadou Onana and Boubacar Kamara, while the Reds are expected to be without Cody Gakpo and Joe Gomez. However, Liverpool’s squad depth should be enough to see them, once again, get over the line. We’re going with a narrow 2-1 win.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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