Liverpool will host Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday, looking to continue their impressive start to the season.
Liverpool have picked up consecutive victories over Bournemouth and Newcastle United ahead of the game against Aston Villa. So, they will be reasonably confident of grinding out another positive result at home this weekend.
The win over Newcastle United will have given them immense confidence, and it remains to be seen whether Jurgen Klopp’s men can build on that performance here. Meanwhile, Aston Villa bounced back from a disastrous start to the season with two back-to-back wins over Everton and Burnley.
In addition, the Villans were phenomenal in the UEFA Europa Conference League playoffs, cruising to a commanding win over Hibernian. Unai Emery’s men will thus be confident of pulling off an upset here. So, the Reds cannot afford to take them lightly.
Aston Villa have an impressive squad following the end of the summer transfer window. And they are certainly capable of giving any side a run for their money on their day. Although Liverpool are the better team on paper, this is likely to be a close encounter, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.
The boss gave an update on the fitness of Curtis Jones and Thiago Alcantara in this morning's #LIVAVL press conference 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/Trrxwm1PYt
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 1, 2023
Team News & Tactics
Liverpool
Liverpool will be without the services of Thiago Alcantara, who is still recovering from his groin injury. The Spanish international was expected to return to action this week. But he has suffered a recent setback and is now sidelined until the international break.
Meanwhile, Virgil van Dijk was handed a red card against Newcastle United, and the Liverpool captain is set to miss out. Klopp has confirmed that Ibrahima Konate will not be ready for the game either. The Reds are likely to shape up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Alisson Becker in goal.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson will start as the full-backs here. The two players will look to help out creatively and protect the central defenders as well. In the absence of van Dijk and Konate, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez should start here.
In the midfield, Wataru Endo is set to start as the defensive midfielder, and he will look to break up the opposition attacks. Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai will start as the box-to-box midfielders, and they will look to add creativity and control to the side.
Deadline-day signing Ryan Gravenberch thus misses out. Meanwhile, in the attack, Darwin Nunez could be handed a start after his match-winning brace against Newcastle United last week. Mohamed Salah will continue on the right, with Luis Diaz on the left.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Gomez, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Endo, Mac Allister; Salah, Nunez, Diaz
Aston Villa
Aston Villa will be without the services of Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings. Both are long-term absentees with knee injuries. Jacob Ramsey will miss out with an ankle injury. Philippe Coutinho and Alex Moreno are ruled out with thigh injuries.
Unai Emery’s men are set to start in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Emiliano Martinez in goal. In the back three, Ezri Konsa will start alongside Diego Carlos and Pau Torres. They will look to keep the Liverpool front three quiet.
Matty Cash and Lucas Digne will start as the wing-backs and they will look to help out in the attack as well as contain the likes of Salah and Diaz. Boubacar Kamara and Douglas Luiz will start in the heart of the midfield and they will look to break up the opposition attacks.
Moussa Diaby and John McGinn will be deployed as the attacking midfielders and they will look to drift out wide from time to time as well. Ollie Watkins will lead the line for the visitors.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres; Cash, Kamara, Luiz, Digne; McGinn, Diaby; Watkins
Key Stats
- Liverpool are undefeated in their last 14 matches in the Premier League.
- Liverpool are undefeated in their last six matches against Aston Villa in all competitions.
- 18 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two sides.
- Five of the last six matches between these two sides have seen both teams get on the scoresheet.
Key player
Darwin Nunez
Have we seen the start of something special with Darwin Nunez? ✨ pic.twitter.com/rtuFj7wSpN
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 28, 2023
The Uruguayan international will be one to watch out for this weekend. He will be brimming with confidence after the match-winning performance against Newcastle United and will look to build on that against Aston Villa.
Nunez will want to establish himself as a regular starter for Liverpool, and he knows that he will have to perform at a consistent level in order to start every week. He has the quality to punish the Aston Villa defence with his pace and movement.
Prediction
Liverpool 1-1 Aston Villa
The Reds are the better team heading into this game, but they will be without their two best defenders. Aston Villa will certainly fancy their chances against Joe Gomez and Joel Matip, who have not been at their best for a while.
The away side have the quality in attack to trouble Liverpool. This is likely to be a close encounter, and the two teams could end up cancelling each other out. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw between Liverpool and Aston Villa.
