Liverpool vs Aston Villa: Match Preview & predictions
Liverpool vs Aston Villa: Match Preview & predictions. Liverpool will be aiming to maintain their top spot at the Premier League standings, while also continuing their winning streak on Saturday evening, when they host Aston Villa at Anfield.
The Premier League leaders have blossomed under new manager Arne Slot at the beginning of his debut season, winning 14 of their 16 matches so far in all competitions under the Dutchman. The Reds’ 4-0 thrashing of Bayer Leverkusen on Xabi Alonso‘s return to Merseyside was the latest on the book.
Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 12 matches, winning 11 of those clashes, and will fancy their chances of extending that streak on Saturday. Aston Villa on the other hand promise to be tricky opposition, even if they are without a win in their last four outings.
Unai Emery‘s side are enduring a minor blip in what has been an exceptional start to the season. With three successive defeats, including Wednesday’s 1-0 loss at Club Brugge following Tyrone Mings’ comical handball, have slightly thrown the Villans off course at the moment.
Take a look at our guide to an intriguing match under the lights at Anfield.
What time does Liverpool vs Aston Villa kick-off?
Location: Liverpool, England
Stadium: Anfield
Date: Saturday 9 November
Kick-off: 20:00 GMT / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT
Referee: David Coote
VAR: Paul Tierney
Liverpool vs Aston Villa H2H Record (All Games)
Liverpool: 3 wins
Aston Villa: 0 wins
Draws: 2
Last meeting: Aston Villa 3-3 Liverpool (13 May 2024) – Premier League.
Liverpool team news;
Liverpool did not suffer any fresh injury concerns during the win over Leverkusen, but they are still missing several important first-team players. That includes Diogo Jota, who won’t return until a week or two after the November international break according to Slot.
Alisson Becker and Harvey Elliott are also sidelined with long-term issues and Federico Chiesa will miss out again having endured an injury-hit start to his Anfield career.
Despite suffering a nasty-looking arm injury last weekend, Ibrahima Konate featured against Leverkusen. Kostas Tsimikas will push Andy Robertson for the left-back spot once again having started the last two matches.
Luis Diaz’s midweek hat-trick mean he’s likely to start again this weekend, but the Colombian may move back to the left-hand side after leading the line against the German champions. That threatens the position of the in-form Cody Gakpo, with Darwin Nunez also pushing for a starting role.
Liverpool predicted lineup vs Aston Villa
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Jones, Diaz; Nunez.
Aston Villa team news;
Aston Villa’s injury woes have cleared up in recent weeks, but Emery is still missing the likes of Matty Cash and Ross Barkley for the trip to Anfield. Ezri Konsa is likely to come in at right-back once again to replace the former on Saturday.
Amadou Onana was an unused substitute during the midweek defeat in Belgium and will return to the starting XI in place of Boubacar Kamara. Mings’ disastrous Champions League debut, might see him replaced by Pau Torres.
Jhon Duran continues to fight for a starting berth but still finds himself behind Ollie Watkins in the pecking order. Morgan Rogers was an injury doubt ahead of the Club Brugge clash, but featured for over an hour.
Aston Villa predicted lineup vs Liverpool
Aston Villa (4-4-1-1): Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; McGinn, Onana, Tielemans, Ramsey; Rogers; Watkins.
Liverpool vs Aston Villa score prediction;
Aston Villa don’t have a prosperous record at Anfield and head to Merseyside during a difficult spell. The last thing they need as they seek to end their winless run is a clash with one of Europe’s most in-form sides under the lights.
Liverpool showed their defensive vulnerability last weekend against Brighton, but still had enough in the tank to secure a hard-fought victory. They may offer up a similar performance against a Villa side with plenty of attacking firepower, and might likely come out on top in a tight affair.
Prediction: Liverpool 1-1 Aston Villa
