Aston Villa will host Liverpool on Monday in their first game since the return of club football after the World Cup.
Venue: Villa Park (Birmingham)
Key Statistics
Aston Villa have won their last two Premier League games.
They have won four of their last six matches played on Boxing Day (L2).
The hosts have scored 2+ goals in three of their last four PL games.
Unai Emery hasn’t beaten Liverpool since his first-ever managerial encounter with the Merseyside giants (D1, L5 since).
Danny Ings has scored seven goals in his last 12 PL appearances against his previous clubs.
Liverpool have won their last two PL games.
They have one of the worst away records in the league this season, having one just once in six away league games (D2, L3).
This season, they have kept just one clean sheet in their away trips in the EPL.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah enjoys facing Villa, registering six goal contributions in his last six personal H2H starts (G5, A1).
Head to head
Liverpool have enjoyed the superiority in this fixture. In 54 Premier League meetings between both sides, the Reds have 31 wins, while Aston Villa have 13 wins (D10).
Latest performances in all competitions
Aston Villa: L-W-D-L-W
Liverpool: L-W-L-W-W
Aston Villa
Aston Villa will look to continue their impressive run of form under new manager Unai Emery when they host Liverpool on Boxing Day.
While the World Cup was a phenomenal spectacle, the hosts would’ve wished they were allowed to continue since they were gathering momentum after winning back-to-back Premier League fixtures heading into the hiatus.
Those wins, which came against Manchester United (3-1) and Brighton (2-1), where Emery’s first two league games in charge, with the Spaniard now aiming for history as he could become the first-ever Villa manager to win his first three league games in charge.
Playing on Boxing Day could boost the former Arsenal man’s chances of unwrapping a late Christmas present, as the hosts have won four of their last six matches played on this day (L2).
However, he’ll have to negotiate a win over Liverpool for that to happen. Winning Klopp’s men is something he hasn’t managed to achieve since his first-ever managerial encounter with the Merseyside giants (D1, L5 since).
Possible Aston Villa starting line-up
Robin Olsen; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Lucas Digne; John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara, Douglas Luiz; Emiliano Buendia, Ollie Watkins, Jacob Ramsey.
Injured: James Ramsey
Doubtful: Emi Martinez, Philippe Coutinho
Suspended: None
Liverpool
Liverpool will look to bounce back from their disappointing Carabao loss to Manchester City when they travel to Birmingham on Monday.
The Reds went into the World Cup break in good shape, winning four games on the bounce and shooting themselves into the top six of the Premier League table.
However, they still remain a giant seven points behind the Champions League places and a whopping 15 points behind League leaders Arsenal.
Their lowly place on the table has been down to their poor form away from home. Jurgen Klopp’s men have won just once on their road trips so far, keeping just one clean sheet which came in a goalless draw with Everton in early September.
However, having beaten Tottenham 2-1 in their last away outing, they will fancy their chances of a good result at Villa Park. Like their hosts, they too will be gunning for three consecutive league wins for the first time this season.
The omens are good for them, as the Christmas feast seems to have fueled the Reds in recent years. The visitors have won all their last four PL Boxing Day encounters by an aggregate score of 14-0.
A trip to Villa Park could see the goals continue to flow and be a boost to their confidence, too, with Liverpool’s 15 PL wins there being their most at any away ground in their PL history.
Possible Liverpool starting line-up
Alisson; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson; Harvey Elliot, Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara, Jordan Henderson; Mohamed Salah, Darwin Núñez.
Injured: Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, Arthur, Curtis Jones
Doubtful: James Milner
Suspended: None
Odds
| Aston Villa to win | Draw | Liverpool to win | |
| Odds | 4.75 | 4.00 | 1.66 |
| Probability (%) | 20 | 24 | 57 |
Prediction
Aston Villa 0-2 Liverpool
