Premier League: Aston Villa vs. Liverpool Preview

Aston Villa will look to extend their Premier League winning streak to three games under Unai Emery and return to the first team at home to Liverpool on Boxing Day.   

Meanwhile, the Reds are back in contention from the World Cup break, their EFL Cup defense having ended in a 3-2 defeat by Manchester City in the fourth round.

Steven Gerrard will miss Boxing Day clash with Liverpool but Unai Emery’s era started on a positive note as the Lions secured a third win in three games for the former Arsenal and Villarreal manager after beating Manchester United. and Brighton & Hove Albion last month.

Losing to the Red Devils in the EFL Cup is a mundane blot on the Spaniard’s book, but back-to-back successes in the top flight have seen Aston Villa rise to 12th in the table – five points clear of the bottom three. just short of a possible spot in the top half.

With Emery still coping with his new team, it came as no surprise that Villa played a total of four friendlies during the World Cup, although they only managed one win in that run – a 1-0 win over Chelsea. internally on December 11th.

Elsewhere, the Lions have held a 2-2 draw with Brighton on either side of losses to Cardiff City and Emery’s former employers Villarreal, and the Spaniard is now aiming to make history by becoming the first Aston Villa manager to win all three. Responsible for championship games.

Just two of the hosts’ last nine Premier League games at Villa Park have ended in defeat and the Lions have won three of their last four home Premier League games, but Liverpool have already regained their taste for goals on their return to action. competitive football.

Rarely does a weekend in the Premier League go by without managers abusing VAR, but Jurgen Klopp struck a different tone, lamenting the lack of technique as the EFL Cup champions were knocked out of the 2022-23 tournament in the fourth round.

Fabio Carvalho and Mohamed Salah scored for Liverpool but Erling Braut Haaland, Riyad Mahrez and Nathan Ake made their attacks futile before Klopp questioned the lack of VAR and pointed to early opportunities for a change of pace that didn’t involve flagging offside.

Although the result was embarrassing for Klopp and others, the neutrals put in an excellent performance between two heavyweights whose vitality was untarnished by the World Cup hiatus, but Liverpool’s four-game winning streak in the competition ended abruptly.

The Reds, who lost to Lyon before beating AC Milan in the Dubai Super Cup, are celebrating their sixth game on Christmas Day after a blistering start – seven points clear of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with a game in hand – and a win over the Lilywhites. 6 November marks their only away win in the Premier League in their last six attempts.

Each of Aston Villa’s last four encounters with Liverpool has ended in defeat for the home side, who can still boast a 7-2 win as of October 2020, but the Reds have won a record 15 Premier League games at Villa. Park.

The always controversial Emiliano Martinez recently won the World Cup with Argentina and isn’t here, but the goalkeeper is set to land a call from Emery following Kylian Mbappé’s constant provocations at the La Albicelesta party.

Robin Olsen will therefore – provided he recovers from an unspecified minor problem – represent Villa, who will not be out for long-term absentee Diego Carlos, while Jacob Ramsey will take a few weeks to recover from a hamstring problem.

Former Reds striker Philippe Coutinho is recovering from a hamstring injury but is unlikely to start against his former club, although Danny Ings’ game against Brighton will improve his chances against his former employers.

Likewise, Liverpool will be without their own World Cup representative with Frenchman Ibrahim Konate not due to return to training until December 27, but Virgil van Dijk is expected to return to the heart of defense mean time.

On the negative side, Klopp’s injuries are piling up again, with James Milner (hamstring) and Roberto Firmino (calf) missing the next two games, and joining Curtis Jones, Arthur, Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota. Table. Trent Alexander-Arnold is said to be fit again after an illness.

Alisson Becker will also return in goal for EFL Cup specialist Caoimhin Kelleher, while Darwin Nunez will be given a second bite of the cherry after wasting a multitude of chances at the Etihad.

Aston Villa vs Liverpool H2H Results (Last 5)

    Aston Villa: 1 Win

    Liverpool: 4 Wins

    Draws: 0

Current Form (Last Five Games)

    Aston Villa: W  L  W  L  W

    Liverpool:  W  W  D  W  L

Aston Villa vs Liverpool: Key stats

• Liverpool have won their last four games against Aston Villa in all competitions

• Mohamed Salah has scored in three of those four games, including a winner from the spot last December in a 1-0 victory at Anfield

• If Aston Villa win, it would be their third straight league victory, a feat last achieved in March

Probable Lineups:

Aston Villa (4-3-3): 

Robin Olsen; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Lucas Digne; Boubacar Kamara, Douglas Luiz, John McGinn; Leon Bailey, Danny Ings, Emiliano Buendia

Liverpool (4-3-3): 

Alisson; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson; Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara, Jordan Henderson; Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Fabio Carvalho