Jurgen Klopp’s final away game as Liverpool manager
Aston Villa are on a losing streak of three games in all competitions. After a 1-0 defeat to Brighton in the Premier League, they lost even the second leg to Olympiacos of the semi-finals in the UEFA Europa Conference League. Even if Tottenham Hotspurs win their game against Burnley, with a win, Unai Emery’s team can secure UEFA Champions League football for next season.
Talking about Tottenham, Liverpool gave them a 4-2 beating last match at Anfield. This match at Villa Park will also be a special occasion for outgoing boss Jürgen Klopp as it is his final away game in the English first tier. Although the Reds may have spiralled down from the title race, their 78 points on the table already mean UCL next season.
Kick-Off:
Monday, 13 May 2024 at 8:00 PM UK
Tuesday, 14 May 2024 at 12:30 AM IST
Location: Villa Park
Form
Aston Villa (in all competitions): L-L-L-D-W
Liverpool (in all competitions): W-D-L-W-W
Players to Watch
Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
Ollie Watkins is having a brilliant season. A goal here will take his PL tally to 20. The last time a Villa player achieved this feat was back in the 1980-81 season where it was Peter Withe scoring 20 goals. Watkins’s 12 assists also make him a brutal force in the attack.
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
In the 4-2 win over Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham, Mohamed Salah scored the opener. The night even saw an assist by the winger. Till now, in the PL, Salah has managed to score 18 goals alongside providing 10 assists in just 30 league appearances.
Injury & Team News
A lot of players are unavailable in this game for Emery. Tyrone Mings, Jacob Ramsey, Boubacar Kamara, Emiliano Buendía and Morgan Rogers won’t be featuring anymore this season. Youri Tielemans and Nicolò Zaniolo are still working to be back. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez is back and is expected to start in between the goalposts
The visitors are to be without Joel Matip, Ben Doak, Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota. The rest of the squad is reportedly fit and available to be used in Klopp’s final away game as Liverpool manager.
Head to Head
Total Matches – 202
Aston Villa wins – 59
Liverpool wins – 102
Draws – 41
Predicted Lineup
Aston Villa predicted lineup (4-4-2):
Martínez (GK); Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Bailey, McGinn, Luiz, Diaby; Durán, Watkins
Liverpool predicted lineup (4-3-3):
Alisson (GK); Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, van Dijk, Robertson; Elliott, Endo, Mac Allister; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz
