Aston Villa return to action in the Premier League for the last time at Villa Park this season, a game that could be crucial to one of Unai Emery’s favourites.
Villa Park will play host to Aston Villa for the last time in the 2023/24 campaign this evening, as Unai Emery’s side welcomes Liverpool to the Midlands.
The Villans can all but secure a top-four finish with a win against the Reds, with three points having the power to extend their lead on Spurs to seven points ahead of the Lilywhite’s clash with Manchester City.
It’s poised to be a thriller at Villa Park this evening, and one that the hosts will hope to end their home campaign in style with.
After Thursday night’s Europa Conference League exit to Olympiacos, club captain John McGinn issued a strong plea to his team ahead of their duel with Liverpool in front of the home fans.
The Scotsman admitted that Villa ‘owe’ both the supporters and themselves ‘a performance’ against the Reds following a recent dip in form, with one player needing to put McGinn’s words into action.
Aston Villa must count on Ollie Watkins against Liverpool
A lot of Aston Villa’s success this term has come as a result of the form of Ollie Watkins, who has contributed to a magnificent 31 goals in the Premier League this season.
Only Cole Palmer can equal such numbers, telling of just how influential the Englishman has been under Emery’s guidance throughout the 2023/24 campaign.
READ MORE: Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins’ life outside of football
Lauded as ‘unbelievable’ by pundit Alan Shearer for his contribution to the Villans on their road to securing Champions League football, the 28-year-old can still end his individual success this term on an even higher note.
Currently sitting on 19 Premier League goals, the England international requires just one goal to become Villa’s leading scorer in a single Premier League season and the first Villa player to score 20 goals in the league calendar.
A month ago, it seemed as though Watkins would smash the record however, recent form has suggested some fatigue in the player, making his performance against Liverpool even more important.
Ollie Watkins can end the season on a high with performance against Liverpool
It’s been 29 days since Watkins last scored in the Premier League, netting a decisive goal against Arsenal at the Emirates.
Since then, the Englishman has failed to find the back of the net, with his performances decreasing particularly in the past few fixtures.
In his previous four games coming against Chelsea, Brighton and the two legs against Olympiacos, the Villa talisman recorded just three shots on target in over 360 minutes of football, via Sofascore.
While a lot of Watkins’ quietness in the final third has come down to the general fatigue around the Villa squad at present, the striker will be eager to score the record-breaking goal against Liverpool this evening.
As McGinn stressed, the hosts must dig deep to end their campaign at home on a high note, with more goals firmly in the mind of Emery’s talisman as he bids to rediscover his scoring streak ahead of the Euros.
