Preview: Aston Villa vs. Liverpool
ASTON VILLA VS. LIVERPOOL
| Wednesday, February 19th |
Premier League | Villa Park
7:30PM GMT/2:30AM EST
Liverpool won their game against Wolves on Sunday, but the win was not exactly convincing. The first half was fine, but the second was a very nervy 45 minutes. A win is a win, and Liverpool remain seven points atop Arsenal in the league table. However, with 13 games still yet to play, that lead feels a bit shaky.
While it’s true that the Reds have only lost one match so far in the league, three of their six draws have come since the start of the new year. That dip in results has been enough to give Arsenal some hope and make things much less comfortable than they had been.
The Gunners don’t play another game until the weekend, so a win for Liverpool on Wednesday would give them the psychological advantage of once again having a double digit lead.
But speaking of draws, three of Aston Villa’s last four league games have ended that way, including matches against Arsenal, West Ham, and Ipswich. They be looking to take advantage of Liverpool’s recent show of weakness to come away with some points. They’ll have to do it amidst their own defensive injury crisis though, as they’ll go into the game short many important players.
Predicted Liverpool Lineup (4-2-3-1)
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Jones, Diaz; Nunez
Poor Joe Gomez is out for a few weeks, because of course he is. Tyler Morton is also out injured. Curtis Jones completed his one game ban over the weekend, and so he’ll be available to perhaps allow Dominik Szoboszlai a break.
For Unai Emery’s side, missing are currently Boubacar Kamara, Pau Torres, Ross Barkley, and Amadou Onana. In doubt are Ezri Konsa, Matty Cash, and Leon Bailey.
What the Managers Had to Say
Arne Slot: “I think Villa away, when you get the fixture list, you all know that Villa away is one of the tougher ones you can face. But last season was also a very interesting game with it ending 3-3, if I remember correctly. So, [a] very good manager, always has a very good game plan. They brought in quite a lot of good players in the winter break as well and they already had a very good team.”
Unai Emery: “We are excited, how we will face them tomorrow. Now, Liverpool, they are the best team in Premier League, they are the best team in Europe and of course being very difficult. Our challenge tomorrow is how we can face them, how we can respond with our qualities against them, how we can play in this level trying to get confidence for ourselves.”
The Officials
Referee: Michael Oliver. Assistants: Stuart Burt, James Mainwaring. Fourth official: Dean Whitestone. VAR: Paul Tierney. Assistant VAR: Richard West.
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