By Ian S Palmer
Aston Villa pays a visit to Anfield this Saturday, September 26th for an English Premier League match against Liverpool. Both teams are struggling this season and are in search of much-needed points. Liverpool enters the contest in 13th place in the 20-team league while Aston Villa sits in 17th spot. Liverpool has eight points on two wins, two draws and two losses with just for goals scored and seven allowed. Villa has just four points on a lone victory, a draw and four defeats. They’ve scored six times and conceded nine.
Liverpool vs Aston Villa – bet365 Soccer Betting Line:
- bet365 currently lists Liverpool as the favorites at 4/9 with Aston Villa 13/2 and a draw at 10/3
Liverpool vs Aston Villa – Head to Head:
- Liverpool has won 24 Premier League encounters against Aston Villa, but the home side hasn’t won any of their past eight clashes. The away team has won six times and the other two ended in draws. Sturridge has played twice for Liverpool against Villa and scored in each match. Liverpool has won, lost and drawn a game at home in three outings this season with two goals scored and four allowed. Villa has a win and two losses on the road with four goals scored and five conceded. Liverpool beat Villa 2-0 away and 1-0 at home last season, but were 2-1 losers in an FA Cup clash at Villa Park. The two sides have met a total of 189 times in the past with Liverpool winning 92, losing 57 and drawing the other 40.
Liverpool snapped their five-game winless streak on Wednesday when they squeaked past League Two club Carlisle United in the third round of the English League Cup (Capital One Cup). The match ended 1-1 after 90 minutes and a half hour of extra time didn’t solve anything either. The contest went to a penalty shootout at Anfield with Liverpool taking it 3-2. The main problem for the Merseysiders this season is their lack of goals and the controversial team selections by manager Brendan Rodgers.
The Reds recently welcomed back English international striker Daniel Sturridge after a bout with a long-term injury. However, they may be missing a few other players on Saturday as striker Christian Benteke, forward Roberto Firmino and defender Dejan Lovren are currently nursing injuries. The injury-prone Sturridge returned for Liverpool’s 1-1 draw against Norwich City last weekend after sitting out five months due to a hip problem.
Aston Villa managed a 1-0 win over Birmingham neighbors Birmingham City in the League Cup this week, but have just one victory in Premier League play. Their last league outing resulted in a 1-0 home defeat to West Bromwich Albion in another local derby. Liverpool enters the game with a lone win, three draws and two losses in their past six matches in all competitions while Villa has three wins, a draw and two defeats. Villa hasn’t lost in their past four trips to Anfield, and a win or a draw here could mean the end to Rodgers’ reign as Liverpool manager.