Liverpool will aim to keep their superb winning run going when they welcome Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa to Anfield on Saturday.
The action across Europe is coming at break-neck speed, and this weekend, Gameweek 16 in the 2021/22 Premier League season is getting underway. Liverpool will be in action on Saturday afternoon, when they play hosts to Aston Villa at Anfield.
Liverpool have established themselves as one of the most fearsome teams in Europe on the back of stunning performances in the final third. The Reds are the most prolific side in the Premier League, having scored 44 goals in 15 top-flight games thus far this season. Jurgen Klopp’s men head into the contest on the back of a hard-fought 2-1 win over AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League.
On the other hand, Aston Villa are going through the famous “new manager bounce”, winning three of their four games since Steven Gerrard took over from Dean Smith. The only setback came in a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City, wherein the Villans proved a handful for the reigning Premier League champions.
The corresponding fixture last season saw Liverpool come from a goal down to beat Aston Villa 2-1, with Trent Alexander-Arnold scoring an injury-time winner. Ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter.
Team News & Tactics
Liverpool
Join Jürgen Klopp LIVE, as he looks ahead to our clash with @AVFCOfficial ?️ #LIVAVL https://t.co/cbPEvwqKC0
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 10, 2021
Jurgen Klopp has a new injury concern hampering his preparations ahead of the visit of Aston Villa. On Saturday, the Liverpool manager could be bereft of the services of as many as five first-team players.
Curtis Jones (eyes), Harvey Elliott (ankle) and Roberto Firmino (hamstring) remain on the sidelines, although Firmino is inching closer to his return from injury. And after sustaining a head injury this week, Nathaniel Phillips has joined the trio on the sidelines. In addition, Klopp is also sweating over the fitness of Diogo Jota.
The Portuguese international is recovering from a knock that kept him on the sidelines for the game against AC Milan earlier this week. And with games coming thick and fast, Klopp might not risk Jota versus Aston Villa, leaving him as an emergency option on the bench.
In his stead, Divock Origi will spearhead the Liverpool attack, with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane starting alongside him in the final third. As for the midfield unit, Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara, and Jordan Henderson are certainties following Klopp’s decision to rest give them a breather earlier this week.
At the back, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson will return to the starting eleven after being rested in the midweek European fixture, which gives Liverpool a timely boost on the defensive front. Finally, in goal, there is no looking past Alisson Becker.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Origi, Mane
Aston Villa
Like his counterpart in the Liverpool dugout, Steven Gerrard has several pressing issues to deal with ahead of the trip to Anfield. On Saturday, the Aston Villa manager could have to make do without as many as four first-team players.
The major absentee for Aston Villa is Leon Bailey, who is recovering from a hamstring injury that will keep him out until Christmas. In addition, Bertrand Traore (thigh) and Trezeguet (match fitness) are expected to miss out, while Morgan Sanson could be unavailable due to the after-effects of an illness.
Gerrard: “We have a couple of kicks from yesterday, but we think they’re all going to pull through.
“Morgan Sanson wasn’t feeling too well but we’ve had good news this morning that he’ll be back in to train. Obviously, Bertrand and Leon will be missing.”#LIVAVL pic.twitter.com/W6DnVjhYa9
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) December 10, 2021
However, in some good news, Danny Ings (hamstring) and Matt Targett (head) are back at Gerrard’s disposal after recovering from their respective injuries. However, with teams set to take the field once every three days in the festive period, for the most part, the Aston Villa manager will manage the duo’s minutes and ease them back into action.
In Targett’s absence, Ashley Young is a certainty in the left-back spot, while Ollie Watkins will lead the line for Aston Villa against Liverpool in Ings’s stead. Watkins will be supplemented by Emiliano Buendia and Jacob Ramsey, with the duo looking to carve out the openings during counter-attacking situations.
Young will be joined at the back by Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings, with the defenders providing cover to Emiliano Martinez in the Aston Villa goal. Up ahead in midfield, Douglas Luiz and John McGinn will bring the tenacity to harry their counterparts at Liverpool, while Marvelous Nakamba will sit at the base, looking to keep things tight in the middle of the park.
Probable Lineup (4-3-2-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Young; McGinn, Nakamba, Luiz; Ramsey, Buendia; Watkins
Key Stats
- Liverpool have won six of the last seven Premier League meetings with Aston Villa, scoring at least twice in all seven matches.
- Liverpool have earned four consecutive Premier League victories and are the only side still unbeaten at home in the top-flight this season. The Reds have scored in 25 successive Premier League games.
- Villa have won three of their four Premier League games under Steven Gerrard, as many as they had in 11 attempts under Dean Smith this season.
- Aston Villa have scored a league-high ten goals from a set-piece situation this season.
- Mohamed Salah has been directly involved in 22 league goals this season, a Premier League record after 15 matches. He has 13 goals and nine assists. Meanwhile, Sadio Mane has scored eight goals in eight games against Aston Villa in all competitions, including the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history.
Player to Watch
Divock Origi
Just when things start to take a turn for the worse, Divock Origi manages to turn things around for himself in spectacular fashion. The Belgian striker was instrumental in earning Liverpool all three points against Wolverhampton Wanderers last week, and he was once again pivotal in getting his side the win in the midweek contest against AC Milan.
With Diogo Jota unlikely to be fully fit, Origi will get another chance to impress, with Liverpool’s next opponents being a stubborn Aston Villa side. If the 26-year-old is in his element, the Reds will be on course to win another big game and maintain pace with Manchester City and Chelsea at the top of the Premier League.
Prediction
Liverpool 2-1 Aston Villa
The game on Saturday is heralded as Steven Gerrard’s big return to Anfield. This time around, the Liverpool legend will oddly be sitting in the visitors’ dugout as the Aston Villa manager. However, his team will leave no stones unturned to produce a shock result against Liverpool.
The Villans have shown a soft underbelly despite their solid form in the final third, and that will enable Liverpool to get the better of Emiliano Martinez more than once on Saturday. However, the Reds have tended to concede cheap goals, meaning Ollie Watkins should be in business.
So, The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Jurgen Klopp & co. in a result that will help them keep pace with Manchester City, who will play Wolves earlier in the day.
