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The teams played out one of the most entertaining fixtures in Premier League history earlier this season. The two teams shared nine goals between them, although most of them were scored by the Villains.
Aston Villa 7-2 Liverpool – read the scoreline as the whole world watched in shock the events transpired at Villa Park. The Villains, who were almost relegated the previous season, had handed Jurgen Klopp’s champions their most significant loss since 1963. The two teams meet again in week 31 of the Premier League, with the Reds looking to exact revenge for the humiliation.
Liverpool were unstoppable on their way to the Premier League title in the 2019/20 season. However, they have struggled to attain the same level of consistency this time around and now face a fight to qualify for Europe. Klopp’s team is currently seventh in the table with 30 matches played. Nonetheless, Champions League qualification is still within their realms of possibility, as only two points separate them and fourth-placed West Ham United.
Regardless, Liverpool are currently on a horrible home run in the league. The Reds were aiming to beat Chelsea’s record of 86 games without a loss at home but were halted by Burnley on January 22, 2021. Amazingly, they have lost six consecutive home matches since and are without a win at Anfield in the league since December 16, 2020.
Aston Villa will hope to use Liverpool’s freak run to their advantage as they look to complete their first double over the Reds since the 1992/93 season. However, the Villains have lost their last two matches at Anfield, including a 2-0 loss last campaign. Nevertheless, Dean Smith did receive some positive news ahead of this weekend’s big clash. Captain Jack Grealish, who has been nursing an injury for a few weeks, is expected to return. The Englishman scored twice in the reverse fixture and provided three assists.
Both Liverpool and Aston Villa come into the match on the back of respective league wins. Jurgen Klopp’s side beat Arsenal last week with Diogo Jota netting a brace. Villa, meanwhile, came from a goal down at Fulham to beat the struggling Cottagers 3-1. Ollie Watkins, fresh from his first England cap, scored to seal the points for the Villains late into the match. The forward netted a hat-trick against the Reds in the 7-2 win earlier this season.
Villa are currently 9th in the league table with 44 points. However, they do have a game in hand above Liverpool and could go to within two points of the Reds should they beat them on Saturday.
Key Players
Mohamed Salah: Liverpool may have suffered from a terrible season, but Salah has enjoyed another remarkable campaign personally. The Egypt international has 18 goals in the league so far and is only behind Harry Kane in the top-scorer charts. He scored midweek against Real Madrid in a 3-1 loss in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.
Diogo Jota: While Liverpool are on a six-game losing streak at home, they have indeed won their last two league fixtures away at Wolves and Arsenal. The common factor in both the wins was the returning Jota, who netted thrice in those two matches. The Portugal international has been an instant hit at Anfield and will look to be the catalyst for Klopp’s side once again on Saturday.
Ollie Watkins: Despite not scoring at a consistent rate in his debut Premier League season, it is difficult to label Watkins anything but a ‘hit’. The 25-year-old forward joined Aston Villa on a club-record fee ahead of the 2020/21 season from Brentford and has scored 11 times in the league. The Englishman will be relishing the opportunity to take on the inexperienced Ozan Kabak and Nat Phillips this weekend.
Douglas Luiz: Jurgen Klopp’s team does have one particular chink in their armour – their incredibly high defensive line. Toni Kroos exploited their weakness to great effect midweek, as he helped Real Madrid beat Liverpool 3-1. Luiz will be playing in the ‘quarterback’ role when Villa takes on the Reds this weekend and should look to exploit the same.
Prediction
A slightly more bold prediction would be to pick Aston Villa over Liverpool for their weekend tie. There is some evidence to suggest that that could be a smart pick too – given the Reds’ incredibly poor home run of late. Furthermore, Klopp’s team is no longer the invulnerable machine that it was last season. They are weaker – injuries playing a part in that – and can be beaten.
Nevertheless, Liverpool have too much firepower in their Arsenal for them not to be considered the favourites going into this one. Jota’s return from injury only adds to an already elite attack – one which can quite easily shred its opponents to pieces on its day.
