The home field factor is the Merseysiders’ global advantage.

Good to know about Liverpool

– The Reds have played 36 games and have 65 points. In the last 9 meetings, the team hasn’t lost a single time. The most significant are the draw with Arsenal and the victory over Tottenham. In the latter case, Jurgen Klopp’s men led 3-0 in the first 40 minutes of the game, then conceded three goals and only took the lead again at the finish line. Thanks to this victory, Liverpool were able to exclude the Londoners from the fight for the top five and focused on chasing Newcastle and Manchester United, who play against each other for the third row of the Premier League .

– At the same time, the Merseysiders should have reached the pinnacle earlier – now, even with a 9 match unbeaten streak, it’s tough to qualify for the top 3. A Manchester United there is a game in hand – and they are ahead of the Reds by 1 point, the Magpies won in the postponed 25th round – their lead over Liverpool is 4 points. The chances of the “Reds” fade, because in the remaining rounds “Newcastle” remains to play against “Leicester” and “Chelsea” – and only the “aristocrats” can impose a fight on the “magpies”. Manchester United began to make mistakes more often, and therefore problems may arise not only with the “blue” itself, but also with “Fulham”. Liverpool can only hope for rivals’ misfires and beat Villa in the toughest game – but so far, in pursuit of championship bronze, Newcastle, who have passed the Brighton test, look like the favourites.

– Liverpool still have injured players – Darwin Nunez ended up in hospital after the match with Brentford, Stefan Baicetic also continues to recover, who began to take the field much more often in February-March, Thiago Alcantara still doesn’t play. By the way, there are still top performers in the opening clip. Traditionally, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo come out in attack, Diogo Jota shares playing time with Luis Diaz. The Egyptian brought the victory of the Reds over Brentford, thanks to the goal Diogo managed to score 3 points for Tottenham. The fragile harmony has not yet been broken, and therefore it is possible to stay in the top five. However, the heads of the club should competently strengthen themselves.

Estimated composition of Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson – Robertson, van Dijk, Konate, Alexander-Arnold – Elliott, Fabinho, Jones – Diaz, Gakpo, Salah.

Good to know about Aston Villa

– From February to April, the Lions had a winning streak of 10 games without defeat – Unai Emery’s wards even managed to defeat Newcastle, which is in the top three Premier League. Such results led to the fact that Villa was called an iron contender for the top 5, along with Liverpool and Brighton – there was no doubt that Tottenham would leave the top five.

– “Villa” after 33 rounds was only 2 points behind the Merseysiders and caught up with the “spurs”. But by the time the Reds beat the Londoners and broke away in the top 5, Emery’s side lost to United and missed 6th placed Brighton. The second defeat in a row – this time against Wolverhampton made the fans think, Liverpool’s backlog reached 8 points – and now there is no theoretical chance for the top five.

– On the other hand, there is a chance to compete for European competitions, as the top seven teams in the league can get tickets. Brighton and Tottenham Hotspur are now on the bottom two lines. The backlog of “Villa” from the “seagulls” is 1 point, with the “spurs” the team is on an equal footing (57 points each). With Brighton having a game in hand, one of the opponents is Manchester City, which in its current form automatically means 0 points. In the duel with Southampton, De Zerby’s wards are likely to win – and in the final round there will be a face-to-face with the Lions. Londoners have “Brentford” and “Leeds” – the “bees” could upset the “spurs”. Villa, in fact, to enter the seven cannot lose against Liverpool, plus we must hope for a misfire from Tottenham, given that the Seagulls will not be able to keep up. And already in the last round there is a chance to consolidate success.

Estimated squad of Aston Villa (4-4-2): Martinez – Moreno, Mings, Konsa, Young – Bailey, Louis, McGinn, Ramsey – Watkins, Buendia.

Good to know about the comparison

– Villa have failed to beat Liverpool in the last three years. In the first round of the current season, the Merseysiders defeated the Lions with a score of 3:1, before that there were 3 victories of the Reds with a minimal margin, success in the Cup. But in October 2020, Villa scored 7 goals against Liverpool, conceding 2.

– If we talk about clashes at Anfield, the last time Aston Villa took away 3 points from there in 2014 – this is the only victory of the Lions in 6 matches on the territory of the Reds.

– The statistics of the last 20 matches of the teams are in favor of Liverpool: Liverpool won 13 victories, Villa was stronger only 5 times. 2 more games ended in draws on the scoreboard.

Soccer.ru Prediction: on the one hand, Emery’s side are in desperate need of a win to continue their pursuit in European competition – no telling when Tottenham might stumble. However, there is no recent certainty in the strength of the Lions after the defeats against Wolverhampton and Manchester United – but Liverpool are earning points with confidence. And he asks for even more: a ghostly hope for a three remains. Another important factor is that the clubs play at Anfield, where visitors are never easy. With all sympathy for Villa’s fighting qualities, we expect the Merseysiders to win.