Match Preview: Aston Villa vs Liverpool

Unai Emery’s men lost 2-0 to Wolves, followed by a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup clash. Villa drew 1-1 to Ipswich Town in the last home game, salvaging the game from a 69th-minute goal from Ollie Watkins after a 40th-minute red card to Ipswich’s Axel Tuanzebe.

Meanwhile, Liverpool registered three victories, one loss and a draw in the last five games in all competitions. The Reds defeated Bournemouth 0-2 in the away Premier League clash, followed by their semi-final victory over the Spurs.

Their second-string squad suffered a surprise 1-0 away loss to Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup before the infamous 2-2 Everton draw. Liverpool are in the middle of the fixture congestion as they face Manchester City next weekend.

The Reds have defeated Villa in three of the last five Premier League fixtures between the two clubs. Liverpool secured a convincing 2-0 victory at Anfield in November of 2024 earlier this season.

Aston Villa vs Liverpool: Predicted Line up

The Villans are suffering from a slight injury crisis with Pau Torres, Boubacar Kamara, Matty Cash, Amadou Onana, Ezri Konsa, Ross Barkley and Leon Bailey ruled out.

Villa used the January transfer window efficiently to deal with their current issues and the impact of the Champions League.

Aston Villa’s Predicted XI – Martinez; Digne, Mings, Disasi, Garcia; Tielemans, McGinn; Rashford, Rogers, Malen; Watkins

Meanwhile, Liverpool lost Joe Gomez once again to injury after his recent return against Plymouth. Curtis Jones will return after serving his one-game suspension since standing up for the away fans at Goodison Park against an emotionally unsettled Everton player.

Cody Gakpo sustained a knock that forced him to miss the Wolves game and will miss the game against the Villans.

Liverpool’s Predicted XI – Allison; Robertson, Van Dijk, Konate, Alexander-Arnold; Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Diaz, Salah, Nunez

Aston Villa vs Liverpool: Predicted scoreline

The consensus among the Liverpool fans is simple – get the three points by hook or crook. The Reds have faced stressful situations in recent weeks which are caused by numerous uncontrollable factors like refereeing.

However, they cannot point fingers towards on-field referee Simon Hooper who reasonably managed the game against Wolves on Sunday. The situation gives clarity to the Reds as they need to introspect and rectify what happened in the second half.

Liverpool cannot afford the repeat of the latter half of last season when a surprise dip in form ruined all of their previous hard work. The Kop Times predict a 1-2 away victory for the Reds given the inconsistency of the Villans but they remain a serious threat nonetheless.