After losing ground in the Premier League title race at the weekend, Liverpool will be looking to bounce straight back when they visit Aston Villa on Tuesday.
With only three games remaining this season, Jurgen Klopp’s side find themselves three points behind first-place Manchester City.
Next up, a trip to Villa Park 👊 #AVLLIV pic.twitter.com/QAyiDCnRZz— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 8, 2022
Next up, a trip to Villa Park 👊 #AVLLIV pic.twitter.com/QAyiDCnRZz
Meanwhile, eleventh-place Aston Villa are one of three teams locked on 43 points. Although they are not mathematically safe from relegation, they have all but secured Premier League football for next term.
Aston Villa head into Tuesday’s showdown on the back of a 3-1 victory over Burnley, thanks to goals from Danny Ings, Emi Buendia and Ollie Watkins.
Following a goalless draw with Leicester City and a 2-0 win against Norwich City, Gerrard’s side are currently enjoying a three-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League.
When Villa suffered six defeats in nine Premier League games between mid-February and early April, it looked as though they might get dragged into the relegation battle.
However, they have turned things around in recent weeks and will now be confident of securing a top-ten finish.
Having both scored and conceded 47 Premier League goals this season, Aston Villa have a goal difference of 0. That tells you everything you need to know about their inconsistent campaign.
On the flip side, Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw by Tottenham Hotspur last time out – despite racking up 65% possession and 22 shots at Anfield.
Although Saturday’s win extended Liverpool’s unbeaten run in the Premier League to 16 games (13 wins, 3 draws), they will be unhappy to have dropped points.
Remarkably, the Reds have lost just two of their 35 Premier League outings this term – picking up 25 wins and eight draws along the way.
Having bagged 30 goals and 14 assists across all competitions, there is absolutely no denying that Mohamed Salah has been the star of the show for Liverpool this season.
That said, Luis Diaz has transformed the team since arriving in January. The Colombian scored against Spurs last weekend, meaning he has notched four goals and two assists in his last ten league outings.
Head-to-head: Liverpool head into this clash on a three-game winning streak against Aston Villa, having claimed a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in December.
When you look at the bigger picture, Liverpool have won eight of their previous 11 meetings with Aston Villa across all competitions.
Team news: Villa will be without the injured Kortney Hause on Tuesday, while Leon Bailey and Jacob Ramsey are also major doubts.
Liverpool have no fresh injury concerns ahead of Tuesday’s game, although Roberto Firmino remains a doubt due to a foot issue.
Granted, Aston Villa have upped their game recently. But Liverpool are expected to return to winning ways on Tuesday.
Forebet predicts that Liverpool will score over 1.5 goals and keep a clean sheet on their way to dispatching Villa.