England Premier League
Saturday 11th December 2021
Kick off at 3pm GMT
Venue: Anfield
Match Preview:
Of course the sub plot to this game will be a cracker as Mr. Liverpool himself Steven Gerrard will be returning to his beloved Liverpool- but of course as manager of Aston Villa. Gerrard has only been in the job for a few weeks and the cards have fallen at the right moment to see him return to Anfield. He will of course get a rousing reception but for 90 minutes there will be no love lost between the fans and Gerrard, that’s where it stops.
Gerrard loves Liverpool so much that if Aston Villa were to pull off a surprise victory don’t expect him to be cheerful, it will simply be job done. The likelihood of course is that Villa will be the underdogs and could well struggle to get anything.
Liverpool have moved into 2nd place and have won their last 4 games. The Reds are in a rich vein of form although last weekend their game with Wolves looked to be heading for a 0-0 draw. But it’s hard to count Liverpool out and they scored in the final minute of injury time to take a huge 3 points. At home Liverpool are the only club left in the Premier League who haven’t lost yet but because they have drawn 3 of their seven games they actually only have the 4th best record in the league. Still Villa have much to fear as Liverpool have won their last 2 games at home, both ending in 4-0 victories against Arsenal and Southampton.
Liverpool travelled to Italy in midweek as they played AC Milan in the Champions League and the Reds who did not need to win still won 2-1 and finished their group with a 100% record of played six and won six.
There is no doubt that Aston Villa’s reaction to Gerrard as the new manager has been immediate and in the four games he has managed Villa have won 3 and lost one and that defeat was against Manchester City. Take out losing to the champions and Villa in recent weeks have beaten Brighton, Crystal Palace and Leicester all quality teams that on their day could give any club in the league a run for their money.
With their recent good form Villa have moved into 10th place and would move into the top 10 with victory here. Although the club have lost 5 of their seven games played away from home this season.
Team News:
Liverpool: Diogo Jota is only 50/50 to make this game after a muscle injury, he will face an assessment. Roberto Firmino could be in line to make his comeback after recovering from injury but he is only 50/50 to do so because of a lack of match fitness. Curtis Jones has an on going eye injury and Nathaniel Phillips is out with a face injury.
Aston Villa: Morgan Sanson was ill but is expected to recover in time for this game. Matt Targett has missed some games through a head injury but is being tipped to return for this game. Bertrand Traore is out for another two weeks with a thigh injury. Trezeguet has some fitness issues but could be assessed.
Liverpool vs Aston Villa Head to Head:
Liverpool won this fixture last season 2-1.
The last 3 meetings in a row has seen both teams to score.
Aston Villa have scored 9 goals past Liverpool in the last three meetings.
There hasn’t been a 0-0 between the clubs since 2008.
Liverpool vs Aston Villa Prediction:
Aston Villa will be up for this game and we expect them to have many chances especially in the first half. Liverpool will need to settle quick and this game will be all about the Reds adjusting the pace of the game to their liking. History tells us that Villa score a few goals against the Reds and both teams to score should be taken on.
Liverpool are big odds on to win the game and the problem is that they have the quality to score a few past Villa but one expects that it could be a fairly close game so the value could lie with Villa on the handicap.
Mohamed Salah will have been happy to score in midweek and he has been on hot form this season, he also loves playing against Villa and has scored 4 goals against them in the last three meetings so it seems a no brainer to back him once again.
Liverpool vs Aston Villa Betting Tips:
Both teams to score (Yes) at 1.80
Asian handicap (+2 Aston Villa) at 1.75
Anytime goalscorer: Mohamed Salah at 1.50
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