Aston Villa are looking to bounce back from their recent slump when they travel to league leaders Liverpool on Saturday night.
Unai Emery’s men have lost their last two games in all competitions, with Tottenham thrashing Aston Villa last weekend before Club Brugge secured a 1-0 victory in the Champions League.
Tyrone Mings bizarre handball proved to be the difference in that match, as the Villans struggled to carve open a rigid Brugge defence.
Villa fans won’t be too concerned after losing two games in a row however, their path to redemption doesn’t get much easier as they travel to Liverpool this weekend.
Arne Slot’s men are top of the Premier League, losing just once and are fresh from thrashing Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Paul Merson shares Liverpool vs Aston Villa score prediction
Emery’s side are dealt a difficult task this weekend as the Reds are refusing to let up in their pursuit of the Premier League title.
Aston Villa also haven’t won at Anfield since September 2014 when Gabby Agbonlahor scored the winning goal to silence the majority inside the ground.
The likes of Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran will be looking to replicate similar heroics this weekend, and Paul Merson believes the Villa duo can cause the hosts ‘problems’.
Merson thinks that if Liverpool play like they did against Brighton – marginally beating the Seagulls – Villa have a chance at securing one point or all three.
Predicting a 2-2 draw, Merson wrote in his column for Sportskeeda: “Aston Villa are on a bit of a sticky patch now after three straight defeats in all competitions. This is a big game for both clubs. I saw Brighton against Liverpool and they were actually better than Arne Slot’s men for the majority of that game. Brighton simply failed to pick the right pass, they were excellent otherwise. Ultimately, Liverpool got the three points which they always do.
“I just don’t think Liverpool are playing well enough to get a win in this game. If they give Villa the kind of chances they gave Brighton, the likes of Jhon Duran and Ollie Watkins will punish them. Liverpool were really fortunate to come away with a win in the last game, but I doubt they’ll have that kind of luck here.
“Villa may have conceded four goals against Tottenham, but that can happen when you play a team like Spurs. If Tottenham are in the mood, they can move the ball quickly and score goals in quick succession. So I really think they can cause Liverpool problems in this game.”
Jacob Ramsey can exploit Liverpool’s key weakness
Jacob Ramsey should return to the starting XI this weekend after being rested in the Champions League defeat to Club Brugge.
Ramsey should be deployed on the left and if he does, he will come up against England international Trent Alexander-Arnold.
In a scenario where he’s one-on-one with the 26-year-old, the silky Villa wideman can find joy up against him, with the Liverpool right-back notorious for his struggles defensively.
Ramsey ranks in the top 12% for successful take-ons in the top flight this term, as per FBref, and he can use his ability to glide past players to hand Emery’s men some joy in wide areas.
With Alexander-Arnold also eager to get forward and join the attack, there will be space for the visitors to exploit and that can be the formula for a successful night at Anfield.
