Preview: Aston Villa vs. Liverpool: team news, line-ups and prediction

In the penultimate round of Premier League matches, Aston Villa and Liverpool will face off at Villa Park on Monday night. Third will face fourth.

Prior to Jurgen Klopp’s final away game, the Reds have already been guaranteed a spot in the Champions League for the upcoming season; nevertheless, the Lions can join them at the top table of Europe if they earn the most points.

Unai Emery’s past fondness for winning on the continent did not translate into a spot for Aston Villa in the Europa Conference League final this time around. Olympiacos, a Greek powerhouse, defeated the Lions 4-2 in the first leg to secure their spot in the showpiece.

Ayoub El Kaabi of Olympiacos guaranteed that he would be haunting Lions’ dreams for a little while longer with a second-leg brace, ensuring that the Greek giants would battle it out with Fiorentina for European stardom on May 29. As if Villa defenders weren’t already having nightmares about the hat-trick hero.

Aston Villa suffered a rare defeat in Premier League competition, losing 1-0 to Brighton & Hove Albion in the second of three straight games, either side of their two losses to Olympiacos. Under Emery’s guidance, though, they have never lost four games in a row.

Villa was denied the opportunity to finish fourth without striking a ball by Tottenham Hotspur’s victory over Championship-bound Burnley on Saturday. Nevertheless, Spurs are still four points ahead of Villa, and if they pick the right result on Monday, they will qualify for the Champions League once again.

Though Emery hasn’t yet managed back-to-back top-flight losses in 2023–24, the hosts have lost their Villa Park shine following their unprecedented 15–game winning streak at home, winning just three of their last eight Premier League games in front of their own supporters.

Jurgen Klopp, the opposite number of the Spaniard, has stated that his colleague ought to have had more time to work his magic at Arsenal. Last weekend, the rampaging Reds defeated Tottenham Hotspur, their North London rivals, at Anfield with four goals in quick succession.

Breaking free from their ruts against Everton and West Ham United, Liverpool scored goals through Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Andrew Robertson, Harvey Elliott, and Richarlison before Son Heung-min and Richarlison fuelled faint hopes of an unlikely comeback, which, predictably, did not materialise.

Liverpool’s mathematical elimination of Spurs from the Premier League maintained them in the battle for championship glory, but Manchester City’s decisive victory over Fulham on Saturday lunchtime has reduced the gap between the champions and Arsenal to just two points.

In Klopp’s final campaign, the Merseyside team will mourn the loss of their hopes of winning the Premier League, but they can at least extend an incredible May winning streak in the German manager’s final away game; the team hasn’t lost in 18 May games in the league since losing 1-0 to Chelsea in 2018.

If Aston Villa could replicate their incredible 7-2 victory from October, it would be an even bigger blow to Klopp’s farewell. However, in their last seven meetings with Monday’s opponents—who were convincing 3-0 winners at Anfield in September and have 16 Premier League away victories against Villa—the Lions have lost six and drawn one.

Team news

Emiliano Martinez, the team’s first choice custodian, was cleared to play Olympiacos in the middle of the week. However, Youri Tielemans (groyne), Alex Moreno (unspecified), and Nicolo Zaniolo (unspecified) will need to undergo late fitness tests.

Winger Morgan Rogers’ hamstring injury sustained in the Brighton defeat may end his season early, while known absences include Emiliano Buendia (knee), Tyrone Mings (knee), Boubacar Kamara (knee), and Jacob Ramsey (ankle).

Therefore, the only real alternatives for change are the young players coming out of the academy, such as Tim Ireogbunam, a 20-year-old midfielder who has made one Premier League start so far this season.

However, Clement Lenglet might offer some new blood at the back. With Diogo Jota (hip), Ben Doak (knee), Bobby Clark (unspecified), Thiago Alcantara (muscle), and Joel Matip (knee) still out due to injury, Liverpool’s availability is as it was.

piercing eyes Reds supporters noticed that Robertson was missing from the most recent batch of training photos. However, he was present at the AXA facility on Friday and looks prepared to play; in case he isn’t, Kostas Tsimikas and Joe Gomez are ready to fill in.

Elliott’s lack of playing time was Klopp’s one “regret” of the season, which he acknowledged. Gakpo, on the other hand, is undoubtedly a better choice than Darwin Nunez, about whom Klopp has made it clear that “no speculation” exists after the misfiring Uruguayan oddly erased almost all Liverpool-related content from his Instagram account.

Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Lenglet, Digne; Diaby, Martinez; Cash, Torres,  Luiz, McGinn, Bailey; Duran, Watkins

Liverpool possible starting lineup:  Elliott, Endo, Mac Allister;  Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Van Dijk, Robertson; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz

We predict: Aston Villa 2-3 Liverpool

Since the deadlock has been broken in the first five minutes of each of the last four meetings between Villa and Liverpool at Villa Park, fans might still be finding their seats when the first goal finds the back of the net on Monday.

But this time, Klopp’s team should be the ones to benefit from any rapid strikes because an injured Villa will be exhausted after their fruitless European adventures, both psychologically and physically, so they will have to wait to move up to fourth place officially behind Tottenham.