Premier League: Liverpoll vs Aston Villa | 11 May, 3 AM (PST)

[Mary C]

POTENTIAL STARTING LINEUPS: 

LIVERPOOL: 

G | Alisson 

CB | Joel Matip, Virgil van Djik 

L FB | Andrew Robertson 

R FB | Trent Alexander-Arnold 

C MF | Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara, Jordan Henderson 

L MF | Luis Diaz 

R MF | Diogo Jota 

ST | Sadio Mane 

 

ASTON VILLA: 

G | Emiliano Martinez 

CB | Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa 

L FB | Lucas Digne 

R FB | Matty Cash 

C MF | Calum Chambers, E Buendia 

L MF | Douglas Luiz 

R MF | John McGinn 

W | Danny Ings, Ollie Watkins 

 

The Reds are now on their merry way to Villa Park for a matchup against Aston Villa, with high hopes of another win to tighten their grip on their oh-so slippery spot. Stakes are high as both teams need those three points if they want to climb up the English ladder. Freshly number one in the English Premier League, Liverpool had very little time to savor their seat as they scored identically against Manchester City up until City’s latest win over Newcastle, successfully putting the Reds back in second. Aston Villa is a little lower at 11th but is a point directly below Crystal Palace with 13-4-17. 3 AM, Wednesday in Birmingham’s Villa Park, it’s Aston Villa versus Liverpool, and here’s how we see it unfolding. 

 

December 11, 2021, Liverpool hosted their last game at Anfield stadium with a 1-0 game favoring home. The Reds had 20 shots, 5 shots on target, 63% possession, 551 passes, and an 82% pass accuracy against Aston’s 4, 0, 37%, 329, and 70% respectively. Their position across the EPL board is fleeting as they bounce back from first and second with Manchester City. Liverpool has won 25, drawn eight, and lost two matches as of this writing with 87 goals for, 21 goals against, and a 66-goal differential, totaling 83 points. If they happen to win against Aston Villa, they’d tie Man City’s 86 points but is likely to outrank them due to higher combined statistics.  

 

The home team Aston Villa sits in the lower middle portion of the league at 11th. With losses greater than wins, they’ve racked up 43 points tied with Brentford. The Lions have won two of their last five games against Norwich City and Burnley, but now they need to prepare for a game against the big boys in the league. While their current record and play are seemingly underwhelming, the team has had quite a history. In their bookcase, they have seven EPL and FA Cup titles, five League cups, and one UEFA Super Cup, but what happened? In 2016, the Lions faced relegation from the league and came back for the 2018-19’s season, so it’s safe to say they haven’t quite bounced back yet. The team is also facing grand financial losses but is steadily recovering as we speak. They’ve got a lot on their plate, and their subpar performance reflects that, but that’s a huge motivation to do well nonetheless.  

 

With all things considered, we’ve arrived at a conclusion that many expect. We’re seeing the Reds dominate the game without a doubt, and if the Lions want to pull anything close, they’re going to have to do some miracle work, to say the least. With the EPL title so close within reach, Liverpool will have to tread on Aston Villa to conquer their title race against Man City, and we’re not seeing it any other way. However, if you still have your hopes up for the Lions, you can always watch the game and see it unfold yourself; we never know anyway! 3 AM, Wednesday, May 11, 2022. Villa Park, Birmingham, England.