Liverpool vs. Aston Villa: Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

Two teams will meet this Saturday in the Premier League: Liverpool, who are still quite proud of their flawless record in the Champions League, and Aston Villa, who lost their perfect record in Europe under strange circumstances.

The Lions were startled 1-0 by Club Brugge, who won with the help of one of the most ridiculous penalties in recent history, while Arne Slot's team thrashed Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 in midweek.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

On Tuesday night, Slot welcomed the man Liverpool fans had been calling for to replace Jurgen Klopp. Xabi Alonso, Leverkusen's manager and 2005 Champions League champion, was given a tough lesson in football by Slot, who was helped along by an enthralling Colombian.

Red flames flew on bonfire night as Luis Diaz broke through the Bundesliga champions' defense three times at Anfield, while Cody Gakpo started his Champions League account. Liverpool took a two-point lead in the rankings.

At the top of the league and on the continent, Liverpool took advantage of Arsenal and Manchester City's mistakes in Premier League game week 10. Coming back from a goal down, Liverpool beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 and gained a two-point lead over the defending champions.

While many were expecting Man City and Arsenal to battle it out for the Premier League title, Slot has shocked everyone by putting Liverpool back in the hunt while shattering record after record, most notably surpassing Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti in one specific area.

The thrashing of Leverkusen was the sixth consecutive home win for the rampaging Reds in all competitions. They have scored twice in each of those victories. Last weekend, they hit 100 Premier League goals after coming back from a goal down against Brighton.

Before the start of Champions League match week four, Aston Villa had already shown their dominance over Europe's other 35 top teams by crushing BSC Young Boys, Bayern Munich, and Bologna. Then, they faced another "B" club, Club Brugge.

In the second half, following a tight first half in which neither goalie had to touch the ball, Villa captain Tyrone Mings, unknown to him but to the Brugge players, had an epiphany and picked up the ball after Emiliano Martinez had taken a goal kick.

After losing the EFL Cup to Crystal Palace and last weekend's 4-1 loss in the Premier League to Tottenham Hotspur, Hans Vanaken duly converted the comedic penalty to condemn Villa to their first European defeat of the 2024–25 season.

Villa, one of three clubs with 18 points, is in sixth place on goal differential behind Arsenal and Chelsea. The Lions go to Anfield without a road victory over a top-two Premier League side in almost 25 years, with their last such victory coming against Leeds United in January 2000.

Despite including May's 3-3 thriller at Villa Park, Villa's winless record against Liverpool remains at eight matches in all competitions. Additionally, they have lost their previous nine away matches vs opponents in the top two spots of the Premier League standings.

Liverpool x Aston Villa Team News

As expected, Liverpool will be without Harvey Elliott (foot), Federico Chiesa (fitness), Alisson Becker (thigh), and Diogo Jota (abdominal) until the international break.

Playing hat-trick hero Diaz through the center was one of Slot's bold tactical ideas on Tuesday night, but with Darwin Nunez's return to the attack after a pause, the South American may be sent back to the left side.

Another possible change on the wings is Andrew Robertson taking over for Kostas Tsimikas, who is challenging him for Liverpool's starting left-back position. Curtis Jones might also be benched in favor of Dominik Szoboszlai, who has fresh legs.

On the other hand, Villa's midweek trip to Belgium was without star midfielder Ross Barkley (unspecified) and defender Matty Cash (calf), and Emery is not anticipating their returns for the match at Anfield.

Lions captain Mings is set to sit on the bench after a dismal Champions League debut. Emery should not risk starting him again in a few days after his ACL injury, but it's more about fitness than punishment.

Amadou Onana and Jacob Ramsey are expected to start up front instead of Boubacar Kamara and Leon Bailey. If Mings were relegated, Pau Torres may take Mings' place in defense.

Our predictions

Liverpool to win @ 1.46 on Sky247.ng

With Brugge out of the way, Villa usually causes problems for the other team's defense and might find some success in the final third against Liverpool, who had a couple of near-misses to keep a clean sheet last week.

The Reds should go into the international break in command, however, because of Slot's squad's recent penchant for wearing defenses out at Anfield, the benefits of playing at home instead of away in midweek, and, of course, an additional day of rest.

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