After the disappointment in the UEFA Europa Conference League, Aston Villa will continue their league campaign against Liverpool in the 2023-24 English Premier League season at Villa Park on Monday.
Though nobody could have envisaged this a year ago, the game is important to the Villans in their quest to secure their place in next year’s UEFA Champions League. Unai Emery’s team has come a long way after the Spaniard took over from Steven Gerrard in November 2022.
His journey of taking Villa from a relegation fight to fighting for the fourth spot has been nothing short of remarkable. He will be looking to capitalise on the opportunity with Tottenham suffering a massive blip in their form.
But the spot for Europe’s premier competition is not without its challenges, and the challenge of facing Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool could be as daunting as it comes. With the league out of sight, the players will do everything possible to end the season on high, especially for their departing manager.
Klopp won every trophy he could In his eight and half seasons at Liverpool, but to the fans’ disappointment, the German manager decided to leave the club at the end of the season.
In an announcement video, Klopp said to the club’s website,
“It is that I am, how can I say it, running out of energy. I have no problem now, obviously, I knew it already for longer that I will have to announce it at one point, but I am absolutely fine now. I know that I cannot do the job again and again and again and again.”
Even though Klopp’s message to fans was heartfelt and touching, he will have to keep his emotions in check on Monday on the touchline. The Liverpool manager has received two yellow cards this season and he would be in danger of missing his final game at Anfield if he gets one more booking and more so if you consider the intensity Unai Emery’s side brings to the table.
Current Form
Things were going well for Villa before hitting a rough patch. They maintained a good run in the league since March with 6 wins and 3 draws out of 12, but they lost the last 3 games on the bounce including two Europa League ties.
Their most impressive victory in the run was at Emirates against current league leaders, Arsenal where the side inspired by Tilemens and Watkins made a massive dent in Arsenal’s title chances, and yet, getting all points against a top side could be their weakness. After their defeat against Man United, Villa suffered losses at the hands of City and Tottenham and could only salvage a draw against Chelsea.
On the other hand, Liverpool has had a mixed run of form since their last-minute FA Cup exit as two losses and two draws in the last eight league games have sunk their chances of winning the league. At the same time, they were out of the Europa League against Atlanta. With a few injured players back, Klopp is expected to field his best team so that he can bow out in style.
Head to Head Record
Unfortunately for Villa, the overall and the recent record favours Liverpool. Since the formation of the Premier League, both teams have faced each other 56 times in the league with Liverpool winning 33 and Villa winning 12.
In 10 games under Klopp, Liverpool won 8 times drawing one. Their only loss against Villa was the famous 7-2 game at Vila from the 2020-21 season.
In the return fixture of the season, Liverpool steamrolled over Villa at Anfield with 3 goals with Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohammed Salah scoring a goal each sandwiching a Matty Cash own goal.
Team News
The return of Allison and Alexander-Arnold has been a boost for Liverpool
Youri Tielemans’ injury has been a blow for Villa. His chances against Liverpool depend on a late fitness test, and the possibility of him playing in an important game cannot be denied.
Another worry for Villa is that in-form Morgan Rogers’ hamstring injury has ruled him out for the game, and without him, Villa might have to opt for more defensive lineup.
On the bright side, the return of goalkeeper Emi Martinez against Olympiacos is a huge plus for Emery’s side as the Argentine’s sheer presence and quality would boost the morale of any team in the world. Fullback Alex Moreno is also expected to be back in the squad.
All’s well for Liverpool on the fitness front as most of their important players including the goalkeeper Allison and Trent Alexander-Arnold are back after their long-term absenties, which was one of the main reasons for their failure in the title race.
Predicted Starting XIs
Aston Villa (4-4-1-1): Emiliano Martinez; Matty Cash, Diego Carlos, Pau Torres, Luca Digne; Leon Bailey, Youri Tielemans, Douglas Luiz, Moussa Diaby; John McGinn; Ollie Watkins
Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarell Quansah, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson; Harvey Elliot, Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister; Mohamed Salah, Cody Gapko, Luis Diaz
Prediction
Considering Liverpool’s current record against Villa and Villa’s current injury woes, they are the favorite to win this tie. After Villa’s exit from the physically gruelling UEFA Europa Conference League campaign, it’s going to take something special for Unai Emery’s side to take 3 points home.