Aston Villa are having a very fine season so far in the Premier League. The Villans will be looking to qualify for Champions League football next season and they are in a straight fight with Tottenham. On the other hand, Liverpool is hunting for the Premier League title, and as of the time of writing, they are only a few goals behind Arsenal in second place.
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa were a busy side during the transfer window. Recruiting talents like Moussa Diaby from German Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, Spanish defender Pau Torres from La Liga club side Villarreal, Morgan Rogers from Championship side Middlesbrough and Kosta Nedeljkovic from Redstar. Nicolo Zaniolo and Clement Lenglet joined on loan from Turkish giants Galatasaray and Barcelona respectively while Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans joined on a free transfer from Leicester City.
The Villans also let go of several players with the likes of young centre-forward Cameron Archer leaving for Sheffield United, Marvelous Nakamba joining Luton Town, and Keinan Davis signing for Serie A side Udinese Calcio. Veteran English left-back Ashley Young left for Everton on a free transfer while Philippe Coutinho and Morgan Sanson both sealed loan moves away to Al-Duhail FC and OGC Nice respectively.
On the pitch, Aston Villa claimed some key results on their way to becoming one of the top five teams in the division this campaign. After an exciting start to the season when they defeated Chelsea away from home, Manchester City and Arsenal at home, and a long-standing home winning streak, the Villans were winless in January 2024 before losing to Manchester United at home in early February. However, they managed to pull some results together to get their season back on track – three consecutive wins over Luton Town, Fulham, and Nottingham Forest. Since that run of wins, they have only won once in the Premier League and even lost to top-four rivals Tottenham at home during that period.
As of the time of writing, Aston Villa have 60 points after 32 games and are just outside the top four by their inferior goal difference compared to that of Tottenham.
Meanwhile, Liverpool made a promising start to the season, and as of the time of writing, they currently sit second in the Premier League table with 71 points. During the summer, the team saw a few exits, primarily to the Saudi Pro League. Former captain Jordan Henderson joined Al-Ettifaq alongside club legend Steven Gerrard, while Roberto Firmino and Fabinho headed to Al-Ahli Saudi and Al-Ittihad, respectively.
Other departures included Naby Keita to Werder Bremen after the expiration of his contract, Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain to Besiktas, James Milner to Brighton and Hove Albion, Fabio Carvalho on loan to RB Leipzig, and Arthur Melo, who left at the end of an unsuccessful loan spell. After those exits, Klopp decided to strengthen the squad with the signing of Hungarian captain Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig, World Cup winner Alexis MacAllister from Brighton and Hove Albion, Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich, and Wataru Endo joining the ranks from the Bundesliga.
The Reds started their Premier League campaign with an entertaining 1-1 draw against Chelsea, followed by five consecutive wins against Bournemouth, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Wolves, and West Ham. Notably, Liverpool beat Newcastle with Darwin Nunez pulling up heroics after captain Virgil Van Dijk was sent off early in the game. The Reds suffered their first defeat of the season in the dramatic loss to Tottenham Hotspur, ending the match with nine men due to red cards for Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota. Subsequent matches included a 2-2 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion, victories against Everton, Nottingham Forest, Luton Town, Brentford, Fulham, and Sheffield, and a hard-fought win over Crystal Palace that saw Salah score his 200th goal for the club.
To get things off in 2024, the Reds have already beaten Bournemouth 4-0 on the road in the Premier League and have booked their place in the Carabao Cup final with Chelsea to come in February. After some years of struggles, it seems things are getting back to normal for the Anfield side. With Jurgen Klopp set to leave at the end of the season, the side will be keen to finish the season on a strong note by claiming the league title.
Head-to-head records show that Aston Villa and Liverpool have met each other 24 times. Aston Villa have recorded 6 wins while Liverpool have recorded 15 wins with 3 draws.
Match tickets
The epic match at Villa Park in Birmingham kicks off on Monday, 13th of May 2024 at 20:00 GMT.
The magnificent 42,640-capacity stadium will host the Champions League hopefuls and another side hoping to claim the title.
Getting Aston Villa vs Liverpool tickets could take a lot of work given the standard of this game. Hence, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels.
Team news
Line-ups
Villa’s form has been wave-like recently and will need a result here to finish strong. Major injury absentees for Aston Villa include Tyrone Mings (knee), Jacob Ramsey (foot), Emiliano Buendia (ACL), and Boubacar Kamara (knee). All four are not expected to feature in this particular fixture while Unai Emery will be relying on the firepower of Ollie Watkins to take them through.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Lenglet, Torres, Digne, McGin, Luiz, Tielemans, Bailey, Watkins
Stefan Bajcetic Maquieira and Alisson Becker could be available for selection ahead of this trip to the midlands, while Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara are not expected to feature for Liverpool anymore this season.
Liverpool: Kelleher, Bradley, Quansah, van Dijk, Robertson, Mac Allister, Endo, Szoboszlai, Salah, Núñez, Díaz.
Prediction
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa typically adopt high defensive lines in an attempt to defend away from goal. They press aggressively looking to minimize spaces between the lines and thriving off transitional attacks.
Meanwhile, Liverpool do have a lot to look out for like their hosts and it will be down to who wants it more when the match gets underway. Based on the firepower the visitors possess, they will start as the favourites in this clash.
Aston Villa 1-2 Liverpool