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Preview: Under pressure Reds welcome Villa to Anfield

Preview: Under pressure Reds welcome Villa to Anfield

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With the clubs level on points in the table, the stakes are high ahead of Saturday’s clash on Merseyside.

By Filip Mishov

Slot’s comments raise eyebrows and fuel Emery’s confidence

Liverpool’s sixth defeat over their past seven matches across all competitions resulted in EFL Cup elimination with the Eagles flying high at Anfield and into the quarter-finals, prompting the under-fire Arne Slot to publicly question the squad’s depth after spending over €480 million during the summer transfer window. With matches against Aston Villa, Real Madrid and Manchester City coming ahead of November’s international break, the champions’ crisis could unravel further if the Reds’ form does not improve quickly.

With the Villans free of midweek EFL Cup action following last month’s exit, Unai Emery enjoyed a full week to prepare his in-form squad for the visit to Anfield, which is an unfavourable ground for the Midlands club to go to, with their last win in Merseyside dating back to 2014. However, Aston Villa are on an impressive four-match winning streak and are undefeated in the Premier League since August, sparking confidence ahead of Saturday’s clash. Furthermore, the Lions’ aggressive defence ended Erling Haaland‘s 12-match scoring streak for club and country at Villa Park and kept City’s fruitful attack at bay last weekend, perfect preparation for facing Mohamed Salah this weekend, who scored in each of their previous two visits.

Key players

Cody Gakpo is the champions’ most dangerous and reliable attacker this season, and the Netherlands forward is the squad’s leading scorer (3), assist maker (2) and chance creator (19) in the Premier League, earning him an average FotMob rating of 7.52. The Dutchman’s performances have been a shining light in Liverpool’s underperforming forward line, and impressively, the 26-year-old’s output could have been even higher, if he was not the player who has hit the woodwork the most time (3) this campaign.

Cody Gakpo’s player traits comparison

Matty Cash signed a new contract to extend his stay in Birmingham until 2029 at the least, following his Player of the Match performance against Manchester City, with the Polish right-back scoring a stunning winner and helping Emiliano Martínez record a clean sheet by keeping, both Savinho and Jérémy Doku quiet. The energetic defender is one of Villa’s top performers this season and the 28-year-old’s impressive attacking output (2 goals) makes him the squad’s joint-top scorer in the Premier League.

Team news

With Arne Slot deciding to field a heavily-rotated side against Crystal Palace during midweek, most of the first-team players were given a rest and are expected to return, with Ryan Gravenberch closing in on a return as well, while Curtis Jones and Alexander Isak are almost certain to join Alisson Becker and Jeremie Frimpong on the sidelines.

Emiliano Buendia recorded an assist for Villa’s winning goal against the Cityzens before coming off with a foot injury and the Argentine left Villa Park on crutches, which puts him out of contention, just like Harvey Elliott who is ineligible to face his parent club, and Youri Tielemans, who is also sidelined.

Prediction

The Reds’ form is going from bad to worse, but the champions are unbeaten against the Villans since 2020 across all competitions, and despite the visitors’ current winning streak, Anfield has been an unconquerable fortress for them, so perhaps a draw is the most realistic outcome.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, player ratings. Download the free app here.

Preview: Under pressure Reds welcome Villa to Anfield

With the clubs level on points in the table, the stakes are high ahead of Saturday’s clash on Merseyside.

By Filip Mishov

Slot’s comments raise eyebrows and fuel Emery’s confidence

Liverpool’s sixth defeat over their past seven matches across all competitions resulted in EFL Cup elimination with the Eagles flying high at Anfield and into the quarter-finals, prompting the under-fire Arne Slot to publicly question the squad’s depth after spending over €480 million during the summer transfer window. With matches against Aston Villa, Real Madrid and Manchester City coming ahead of November’s international break, the champions’ crisis could unravel further if the Reds’ form does not improve quickly.

With the Villans free of midweek EFL Cup action following last month’s exit, Unai Emery enjoyed a full week to prepare his in-form squad for the visit to Anfield, which is an unfavourable ground for the Midlands club to go to, with their last win in Merseyside dating back to 2014. However, Aston Villa are on an impressive four-match winning streak and are undefeated in the Premier League since August, sparking confidence ahead of Saturday’s clash. Furthermore, the Lions’ aggressive defence ended Erling Haaland‘s 12-match scoring streak for club and country at Villa Park and kept City’s fruitful attack at bay last weekend, perfect preparation for facing Mohamed Salah this weekend, who scored in each of their previous two visits.

Key players

Cody Gakpo is the champions’ most dangerous and reliable attacker this season, and the Netherlands forward is the squad’s leading scorer (3), assist maker (2) and chance creator (19) in the Premier League, earning him an average FotMob rating of 7.52. The Dutchman’s performances have been a shining light in Liverpool’s underperforming forward line, and impressively, the 26-year-old’s output could have been even higher, if he was not the player who has hit the woodwork the most time (3) this campaign.

Cody Gakpo’s player traits comparison

Matty Cash signed a new contract to extend his stay in Birmingham until 2029 at the least, following his Player of the Match performance against Manchester City, with the Polish right-back scoring a stunning winner and helping Emiliano Martínez record a clean sheet by keeping, both Savinho and Jérémy Doku quiet. The energetic defender is one of Villa’s top performers this season and the 28-year-old’s impressive attacking output (2 goals) makes him the squad’s joint-top scorer in the Premier League.

Team news

With Arne Slot deciding to field a heavily-rotated side against Crystal Palace during midweek, most of the first-team players were given a rest and are expected to return, with Ryan Gravenberch closing in on a return as well, while Curtis Jones and Alexander Isak are almost certain to join Alisson Becker and Jeremie Frimpong on the sidelines.

Emiliano Buendia recorded an assist for Villa’s winning goal against the Cityzens before coming off with a foot injury and the Argentine left Villa Park on crutches, which puts him out of contention, just like Harvey Elliott who is ineligible to face his parent club, and Youri Tielemans, who is also sidelined.

Prediction

The Reds’ form is going from bad to worse, but the champions are unbeaten against the Villans since 2020 across all competitions, and despite the visitors’ current winning streak, Anfield has been an unconquerable fortress for them, so perhaps a draw is the most realistic outcome.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, player ratings. Download the free app here.