Aston Villa vs Liverpool

Villa Park is the venue as Aston Villa and Liverpool go head-to-head in a handsomely-looking midweek Premier League showdown.

Aston Villa’s stuttering quest to secure back-to-back top-four finishes in the Premier League took another hit last weekend as newcomers Ipswich Town held them to a 1-1 draw on this ground. Unai Emery’s side failed to seize the numerical advantage to post a fourth consecutive Premier League game without a win (D3, L1), dropping six points behind the Champions League qualification spots. Therefore, victory in this clash is imperative for the Lions, even though they only emerged victorious once from their last 14 meetings with Liverpool (D2, L11). However, Aston Villa can take confidence from an ongoing 12-match unbeaten streak on home turf (W6, D6). Yet, they only kept two clean sheets in that run, suggesting Liverpool’s free-scoring frontline could have a field day.

The visitors sealed a vital 2-1 home victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend to preserve a seven-point lead on runners-up Arsenal and extend their stellar unbeaten run in the Premier League to 21 matches (W14, D7). Visiting Villa Park bodes well for Liverpool’s bid to add to that tally, considering they’ve won more matches (43) and bagged more goals (160) on this ground across all competitions than any other outside Anfield! Despite going winless on back-to-back domestic travels in the build-up to this fixture (D1, L1), the Reds can draw confidence from scoring precisely twice in their last three Premier League away matches (W2, D1), including a gut-wrenching 2-2 draw against Merseyside rivals Everton in their most recent such clash.