Aston Villa host Liverpool in an enticing Premier League clash in which the winner will clinch Champions League football for next season.
Both Villa and Liverpool are coming off disappointing results that have kept them looking over their shoulders at sixth-placed Bournemouth in the race for the top five. The Cherries sit four points behind fourth-placed Liverpool and fifth-placed Villa but do not play again until they host Manchester City on Tuesday.
Liverpool were booed off at Anfield after drawing 1-1 with Chelsea, while Villa’s exertions in reaching the Europa League final appeared to catch up with them as they were held to a 2-2 draw by relegated Burnley.
Villa are favourites to beat Freiburg in the Europa League final in Istanbul next Wednesday, which would secure a place in the Champions League.
But Unai Emery will want to have a spot in Europe’s elite competition sewn up before that showpiece, and victory against Liverpool would remove the nightmare scenario of Villa suffering a surprise loss to Freiburg in the final before having to go to City on the final day with their Champions League spot still in jeopardy.
Champions League qualification is the one thing Liverpool can salvage from a desperately disappointing campaign but, with a difficult home game against Brentford following the trip to Villa Park, it is still not a guarantee for Arne Slot’s side.
Away from has been a substantial problem for Liverpool this season. The Reds have lost eight times on the road, though they may take heart from Villa’s recent home defeat to Tottenham, albeit in a game in which Emery shuffled his pack significantly.
“[Away form is] one of the reasons we are here, [we’ve] dropped too many points,” Slot told his pre-match press conference.
“Dropping points in away games happens mainly after Europe in games where Liverpool are usually able to win. Villa away is always difficult but we’ve dropped points in away games where we usually don’t. That is one of the reasons we have not qualified yet for the Champions League.
“The first challenge is to be fitter and more ready to play every three days next season. We’ve had more than a few times, a good spell after 70-80 mins but that goes hand in hand with dropped points in late phases of the game.
“We wanted to beat Chelsea, we would have qualified for the Champions League, we tried to the last second. People could see that more in the second half, we were on the front foot. The Bar and the post were between us winning it.
“Draw, not the result we wanted but a point still. Maybe one week earlier we had a point and lost it. We go to Villa, a very good team this season, we have to try to win.”
Team news for Aston Villa v Liverpool
Villa will be without Boubacar Kamara (knee), Amadou Onana (calf) and Alysson (groin).
For Liverpool, Mohamed Salah will return after missing the last two games with a muscle injury.
Florian Wirtz is a doubt because of a stomach infection, but Ibrahima Konate is fit to play despite being taken off in the draw with Chelsea.
Predicted line-ups for Aston Villa v Liverpool
Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Lindelof, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins.
Liverpool: Mamardashvili; Jones, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Isak.
Where to watch Aston Villa v Liverpool: TV and online streams
Aston Villa v Liverpool kicks off at 8:00pm. It will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League. It will be available to stream via Sky Go.
Stats for Aston Villa v Liverpool
- Villa have won just one of their last 16 Premier League games against Liverpool, a 7-2 home victory in October 2020.
- Liverpool have scored at least twice in 10 of their last 11 Premier League away games against Villa – including the last eight in a row. Only City (11 at Fulham) and Manchester United (nine at West Bromwich Albion) have had longer runs of scoring at least two goals away at an opponent in the competition.
- The Reds, who won the reverse fixture at Anfield 2-0 in November, last did the league double over Villa in 2021-22, while they last did so without conceding in 1995-96.
- Liverpool have won 10 of their last 11 Premier League games on a Friday since a 4-2 defeat at Arsenal in April 2004.
- But Liverpool have not won their final away league match in any of the last three seasons (drawn two, lost one), with these games seeing 19 goals scored in total (4-4 v Southampton, 3-3 v Villa, 2-3 v Brighton & Hove Albion).
- Each of the last two Premier League meetings between the clubs at Villa Park have ended level (3-3 in 2023-24 and 2-2 in 2024-25).
- Salah has had a hand in 14 goals across his last 12 Premier League games against Villa (nine goals, five assists), scoring and assisting in this fixture at Villa Park last season.
- Salah could make his final away appearance in the Premier League. With 83 goals and 47 assists (130 combined), just three players have been involved in more goals on the road in the league’s history: Wayne Rooney (139), Ryan Giggs (137) and Harry Kane (135).
- Villa have lost four of their last eight home Premier League matches (won three, drawn one), having won eight on the bounce beforehand.
- Ollie Watkins has been involved in 12 goals in his last 13 appearances in all competitions (nine goals, three assists).
- Watkins only has more Premier League goal involvements against Brighton (11) and Newcastle United (nine) than he does against Liverpool (eight – six goals, two assists).
Prediction for Aston Villa v Liverpool
While Villa will be expected to win the Europa League, they won’t want to take their foot off the gas in their quest to clinch Champions League qualification by sealing a place in the top five. With Liverpool’s injuries and their continued defensive issues, it’s difficult to see the Reds being able to slow the hosts down.
Prediction: Aston Villa 3-1 Liverpool
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