Aston Villa vs Liverpool preview, H2H, team news, line-ups and prediction

Liverpool travel to Villa Park on Monday to face Aston Villa in what promises to be an enthralling encounter as Liverpool will look to boost their title hopes while Villa will aim for victory to solidify their Champions League position. 

It is safe to say that Liverpool are still mathematically in the title race but their only chance of securing the title is if both Arsenal and Manchester City lose all their remaining matches, which is theoretically and practically nearly impossible.

Their title hopes were squashed in April when they dropped points by drawing 2:2 against Manchester United and losing 1:0 to Crystal Palace. The Reds also suffered elimination in the Europa League after losing 3:1 on aggregate to Atalanta. They also lost in dissapointing fashion to Merseyside rivals, Everton in a 2:0 defeat, while the 2:2 draw to West Ham meant Liverpool have dropped ten points in the last two months.

In their recent Premier League outing, the 4:2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur may have put Liverpool mathematically back in the title race but City’s 4:0 win over Fulham further dampened their chances of clinching the title. Even the most die-hard fans with Liverpool tickets know their title chances are all-but over.

However, Jürgen Klopp’s side will aim to finish this season on a high and will take prestige in winning the Carabao Cup as well as gaining eleven more points than they did last season. The Reds now gear up to face one of their favourite opponents and will aim for their seventh victory in eight games against the Villains.

On the other hand, Villa lost out on a spot in the UEFA Europa Conference League last Thursday when they lost 6:2 on aggregate to Greek side, Olympiacos.

Unai Emery’s side are not in their best run of form recently, and the 2:0 loss to Olympiacos meant Villa have gone four games without a win. More worrying for the Birmingham outfit is their run of three wins in eight matches at home after previously embarking on a 15-game winning streak at home.

After losing 1:0 to Brighton and Hove Albion in their last Premier League match, the Villains will now aim to avoid their first consecutive defeat in the Premier League this season against a Liverpool side that have recorded an impressive 16-game unbeaten streak at Villa Park.

Aston Villa vs Liverpool match details

• Date: Monday, May 13, 2024
• Location: Birmingham, England
• Venue: Villa Park
• Kick-off time: 8 PM BST, 3 PM ET, 7 PM UTC, 12:30 AM IST,
• Referee: Simon Hooper
• Assistant referees: Adrian Holmes, Tim Wood
• Fourth official: Tim Robinson
• VAR: Chris Kavanagh
• Assistant VAR: Mark Scholes

Match stats and head-to-head 

• Liverpool have won ten of their last 12 matches against the Villains.

• Having amassed 67 points with two games remaining, this is Villa’s best season in the top flight since recording 74 points in the 1992-93 season.

• With 19 goals so far this season, Ollie Watkins could become the first Aston Villa player to score 20+ goals in a top-flight season since Peter Withe scored 20 in the 1980-81 season.

• In his final away match as a Liverpool manager, Klopp holds the record for the third-most points-per-game ratio in Premier League history(1.89). Only Pep Guardiola(2.21) and former Manchester manager, Alex Ferguson(1.90) have averaged more.

• Having lost his first-ever clash against Emery in the 2016 UEFA Europa League final against Sevilla, Klopp has gone on a nine-match unbeaten streak against the Villa Boss across all competitions, winning six and drawing three.

• Villa have won only one of their last 12 Premier League matches against Liverpool. Their last victory came in a thrilling 7-2 hammering of the Reds in October 2020 at Villa Park.

• No fixture in the Premier League has ever recorded more away wins than Villa vs Liverpool. Both teams have accumulated 22 away wins in 57 meetings, the most by any other fixture in the League’s history.

• The Reds have recorded more away wins against the Villains than any other side with 16 wins at Villa Park.

• Liverpool are on an 18-match unbeaten streak for all their fixtures played in May since the 1:0 defeat to Chelsea in May 2018.

Team news

First-choice goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez returned to the starting lineup in the loss to Olympiacos and is tipped to retain his place on Monday.

Youri Tielemans is suffering a groin injury but it is unclear if the Belgium International will recover in time to face Liverpool.

Alex Moreno and Nicolò Zaniolo are also doubts for the game but will undergo fitness tests ahead of the match.

Morgan Rogers suffered a hamstring injury in the loss to Brighton and Hove Albion last week and the midfielder is set to miss the rest of the season as it could take about three to four weeks to recover.

Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings remain Villa’s longest absentees with knee injuries, while Jacob Ramsey and Boubacar Kamara are ruled out of this clash with ankle and knee injuries respectively.

Limited options in midfield could force Emery to hand academy youngster, Tim Ireogbunam his second Premier League start of the season when they face Liverpool.

For the Reds, Diogo Jota who marked his return to the squad with a goal against Fulham last month, is now facing another spell on the sidelines with a hip injury. Ben Doak is suffering a prolonged meniscus tear that has limited him to only 345 minutes of football this season. It is unclear if the 18-year-old will recover in time to make his 8th appearance this season.

After making 12 first-team appearances under Jürgen Klopp, youngster, Bobby Clark announced he won’t be making an appearance again this season after suffering a problem with his ankle in March.

Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara remain out until the end of the season.

Andrew Robertson was not spotted in the newly released team photos but the Scotsman is believed to be fine to start at left-back.

Predicted starting lineup 

Aston Villa predicted starting lineup:

Martinez; Cash, Torres, Lenglet, Digne; Diaby, Luiz, McGinn, Bailey; Duran, Watkins.

Liverpool predicted starting lineup:

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Van Dijk, Robertson; Elliott, Endo, Mac Allister; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz.

Prediction

Liverpool have endured a rollercoaster season from sitting top of the table in March to dropping down to third place one month after.

Villa on the other hand have taken their foot off the gear recently and have recorded only one win in their last five matches across all competitions.

Defeat to Villa and victory for Spurs next week could put Emery’s side at risk of losing their fourth position and they will do everything to ensure they don’t lose this match.

Liverpool will also aim for a victory to boost what is gradually becoming a blurry title chase and will also look to finish the season on a high note.

Barrages of attacks and an array of chances from both teams are expected in this match but Liverpool are expected to extend their impressive away record against Villa on Monday.

We’re predicting a 3:1 win for Liverpool.