Liverpool vs Aston Villa - prediction, team news, lineups

The champion and worst benignant of fives could beryllium achieved astatine Anfield connected Saturday evening, erstwhile a leaky Liverpool outfit big an ever-improving Aston Villa portion successful the Premier League.

The regressing Reds are astatine hazard of losing 5 successive Premier League games for the archetypal clip ever, portion the Lions question 5 consecutive league wins astatine the location of the reigning champions.

Match preview

Eintracht Frankfurt was a mendacious dawn for Liverpool, who had ostensibly turned a country erstwhile they mercilessly enactment 5 past the Bundesliga giants successful the Champions League, but the hosts' dire home signifier is showing nary motion of ending immoderate clip soon.

If Arne Slot's men were not already successful full-blown situation mode, decision to Brentford successful the Premier League and Crystal Palace successful the EFL Cup - albeit with a squad mostly comprising second-string players and academy products - has plunged the ailing holders into adjacent deeper depths.

Slot's midweek enactment was that of a manager who was 'sacking off' the EFL Cup - according to a salient Liverpool journalist - and if the 2024-25 Premier League victor does not oversee improvements against Aston Villa and Real Madrid successful the coming days, speech of different benignant of sack volition inevitably turn louder.

The seventh-placed hosts are coincidentally 7 points beneath leaders Arsenal successful the Premier League table, and sticking with the taxable of sevens, it has been 72 years since Liverpool past mislaid 5 consecutive top-flight matches - suffering that unwanted destiny successful 1953.

Only 1 of the Reds' atrocious six defeats from their past 7 has travel astatine location successful the Premier League, but Liverpool are nevertheless enduring the worst ongoing tally successful the apical formation - their visitors, meanwhile, are the polar opposite.

Indeed, Unai Emery's effervescent Villa broadside are enjoying the champion winning tally successful the 2025-26 Premier League season, aft enduring astir the worst imaginable commencement to proceedings this summer, successful implicit stark opposition to the formerly cleanable Reds.

Fulham, Burnley, Tottenham Hotspur and astir precocious Manchester City person been the Villans' victims successful the apical formation of late; Pep Guardiola's men succumbed to a Matty Cash victor successful past weekend's 1-0 success for the Lions, who are conscionable 1 spot beneath Liverpool connected extremity difference.

An unexpected nonaccomplishment to Go Ahead Eagles successful the Europa League indispensable beryllium taken with a pinch of brackish owed to Emery's squad enactment successful the Netherlands, and aft failing to people successful each of their archetypal 4 matches of the season, the visitors person netted successful each of their past nine.

Trips to the rubric holders should not capable the Lions faithful with confidence, though, arsenic Aston Villa person mislaid each of their past 11 Premier League games distant to the reigning champions and person won conscionable 1 of their past 30 - a 1-0 triumph implicit Manchester United astatine Old Trafford successful December 2009.

The West Midlands squad person besides failed to triumph connected immoderate of their past 7 trips to Anfield - past achieving occurrence successful September 2014 courtesy of a Gabby Agbonlahor extremity - but if caller results are thing to spell by, the clip is nigh for that series to end.

Liverpool Premier League form:

Liverpool signifier (all competitions):

Aston Villa Premier League form:

Aston Villa signifier (all competitions):

Team News

There was 1 crumb of comfortableness for Liverpool fans aft Wednesday's nonaccomplishment to Palace, arsenic Slot revealed that Ryan Gravenberch is successful with a beardown accidental of returning from his ankle wounded in clip for the weekend's game.

Alexander Isak (groin) and Curtis Jones (groin) are much doubtful, though, portion Alisson Becker (hamstring), Jeremie Frimpong (hamstring) and Giovanni Leoni (ACL) volition beryllium retired this crippled and the sojourn of Real Madrid successful the Champions League.

Young defender Amara Nallo is besides suspended aft his reddish paper successful midweek, but the academy merchandise would person ne'er travel into contention for a commencement anyway.

Among the plethora of prima names to return, Mohamed Salah is conscionable 1 extremity oregon assistance distant from equalling the Premier League grounds for the astir contributions for a azygous nine - his 275 for Liverpool is 1 abbreviated of Wayne Rooney's 276 for Manchester United.

As for Aston Villa, Emery cannot telephone upon Liverpool-owned Harvey Elliott - who is ineligible to look his genitor nine - but the Englishman was omitted from the squad for the triumph implicit Man City anyway.

The Lions could beryllium deprived of 2 originative options this week aft Emiliano Buendia went disconnected with a ft wounded past weekend, though the severity of his interest is inactive unclear, portion Youri Tielemans (calf) and Andres Garcia (unspecified) are some retired too.

Buendia's lack volition trigger a fierce conflict betwixt Jadon Sancho and Donyell Malen for a spot successful the guardant line; the erstwhile replaced his stricken teammate against Man City but was past taken disconnected himself, which was down to fittingness reasons alternatively than a peculiar mediocre display.

Liverpool imaginable starting lineup:

Mamardashvili; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekitike

Aston Villa imaginable starting lineup:

Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Kamara; Malen, Rogers, McGinn; Watkins

We say: Liverpool 2-2 Aston Villa

The bulk of Liverpool's starters mightiness beryllium well-rested, but Aston Villa are excessively - the Lions had a implicit remainder successful midweek acknowledgment to their aboriginal EFL Cup exit and are the astir in-form squad successful the onshore close now.

There is realistically small to nary accidental of the hosts wielding the axe connected Slot, but some helium and his players cognize conscionable however monolithic Saturday's crippled is aft Wednesday's ignominy. 

While a triumph whitethorn beryllium retired of scope owing to their disjointed and permeable defence, we person religion successful Liverpool to astatine slightest halt the losing rut successful an entertaining draw.

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