Possibly Liverpools’ most crucial 7 day period of the season begins this evening under the lights at Villa Park. A win tonight would put the Reds 10 clear of Arsenal in second.

Aston Villa So Far

Unai Emery’s side arrived at Anfield earlier in the season 6th in the Premier League. The Villans haven’t been able to keep up that form domestically dropping to 9th, they’re winless in their last 4 league games. However progressed automatically in the UEFA Champions League finishing 8th and could be quarter-final opponents for Liverpool. Unai Emery has only 1 win against Liverpool in 12 attempts, his Sevilla side won 1-3 in the UEFA Europa League Final in 2016.

Busy January

In:

• Donyell Malen (Borussia Dortmund, £20m)
• Andres Garcia (Levante UD, £6m)
• Marcus Rashford (Manchester United, Loan)
• Marco Asencio (Real Madrid, Loan)
• Axel Disasi (Chelsea, Loan)

Out:

• Jhon Duran (Al Nassr, £64m)
• Jaden Philogene (Ipswich Town, £23m)
• Diego Carlos (Fenerbahce, £8.5m)

All of Aston Villa’s new signings have appeared in the Premier League already, forwards Marcus Rashford, Marco Asencio and Donyell Malen are all yet to contribute with a goal or an assist. Jhon Duran scored 2 late goals in this fixture last season to snatch a point, Liverpool fans won’t have to worry about him this time around.

Boots To Fill

Jhon Duran’s 7 league goals have been pivotal for Aston Villa so far. Marcus Rashford will be one of the players tasked with filling the void left by the forward, he has 7 goals from 19 matches against the Reds.

Morgan Rodgers and Ollie Watkins have been prolific in front of goal, they have a combined 17 goals and 9 assists in the Premier League.

The Best In The World?

Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez received the Yashin Trophy for the second year in a row and was named in the Ballon d’Or 2024 combined XI. However this season he’s only managed to secure 3 clean sheets in 25 appearances and has a save percentage of only 62.89%. In comparison Alisson Beckers save percentage is 72.55%.

Late Goals at Villa Park

Late goals saw the game finish 3-3 here last season. However, Liverpool haven’t failed to win consecutive league games at Villa Park since December 2004. Late goals was also the theme in 2020 when Andrew Robertson and Sadio Mané both scored in the final 3 minutes to secure a 1-2 victory. A title defining win.

Team News

Arne Slot will still be without Cody Gakpo after he sustained a minor ankle injury. Joe Gomez will be absent and might require surgery after sustaining a hamstring injury. In better news Curtis Jones will return to the side after serving his one match suspension.

Villa, on the other hand, will be missing Boubacar Kamara, along with Ross Barkley, Amadou Onana, and Pau Torres. Leon Bailey, Matty Cash, and Ezri Konsa will remain under evaluation.

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