Premier League: Reds Can Exploit the Distracted Villans

Aston Villa vs Liverpool

Aston Villa are set to host Liverpool in an intriguing Premier League clash at Villa Park on Friday evening, as both teams are vying for Champions League berths next season.

Liverpool and Aston Villa are currently fourth and fifth in the English top-flight table at 59 points apiece, with the latter standing over the former via goal difference. Both teams are keen to return to the win column, as Bournemouth and Brighton are lurking behind them.

After three consecutive league wins, Arne Slot’s side dropped points against Manchester United (3-2) and Chelsea (1-1), while Unai Emery’s men also did the same against Fulham (1-0), Tottenham (2-1), and Burnley (2-2).

However, the hosts aren’t operating with a huge sense of urgency (compared to the visitors). Even if they slide out of the Top 5, Aston Villa can still book their tickets to the Champions League by beating SC Freiburg in the Europa League final next week.

 

Talking Points

Watkins picks up the slack for Aston Villa

Aston Villa’s Premier League form has suffered due to their deep Europa League run, but the struggle has been worth it, as Unai Emery’s side is on the cusp of bringing home silverware this season. They will still be without several key players against Liverpool, such as midfielders Boubacar Kamara (knee) and Amadou Onana (calf). Despite missing these two, Emery’s side has coped well by turning centre-back Victor Lindelof into a makeshift midfielder in the past few games, with Douglas Luiz and Lamare Bogarde out of favour or form.

Liverpool will have their hands full against Ollie Watkins, who has been involved in 12 goals in his last 13 appearances for the Villans. The English striker leads Aston Villa in scoring with 12 league goals, and he’ll lead the line alongside Emiliano Buendia, who has scored twice in his last three appearances and is expected to return to the starting lineup after dropping down to the bench against Burnley last time out.

Skipper John McGinn will also aim to wreak havoc against the Reds, as he has been involved in five goals in his last six appearances. His nine goals overall this season are his joint-best return in a single campaign for Aston Villa.

 

Isak is back for Liverpool

Liverpool received a huge lineup boost in their 1-1 draw against Chelsea, as Alexander Isak came off the bench after recovering from a minor groin injury that caused him to miss their 3-2 defeat to Manchester United. 

The Swedish striker had an okay cameo against the Blues. In his 23-minute shift, he had four touches inside the opposition box, made two defensive contributions, completed one accurate pass, and won one of his two ground duels. Barring any setbacks, Isak could be introduced into the starting side against Aston Villa.

Meanwhile, Liverpool will assess Ibrahima Konate (thigh), Alisson (fitness), Mohamed Salah (thigh), and Florian Wirtz (illness) ahead of Friday. Salah could make his final away appearance in the Premier League at Villa Park.

 

History

Aston Villa have won one of their last 16 Premier League matches against Liverpool (D3, L12), notably a 7-2 shellacking at Villa Park in October 2020. However, the Villans haven’t lost their final home league match in any of the six seasons since their Premier League return in 2019 (W4, D2), including a 3-3 draw with Liverpool in 2023-24.

The Villans have lost four of their last eight Premier League home matches (W3, D1), which is more than they had in their previous 36 (W22, D11, L3).

After winning 2-0 in the reverse fixture at Anfield last November, the Reds can complete a league double over the Villans for the first time since 2021-22. Liverpool have scored at least twice in 10 of their last 11 Premier League away matches against Aston Villa, including their last eight.

 

Betting Tip

The Premier League 2026 odds predict a close fight between Aston Villa and Liverpool at Villa Park this Friday evening. Liverpool have the slight advantage at 2.23, while Aston Villa aren’t far behind at 2.75, and a draw is pegged at 3.45 in the 1X2 market.

We expect both teams to provide football fans with their fair share of Premier League 2026 highlights. Besides our recommended bet, SBOTOP punters may also want to add Total Goal 2-3 at 2.15 and Over 2.75 at 1.65 to the parlay. Furthermore, the Correct Score of 2-0 in favour of the Reds – the result of two of their last three league meetings – yields a massive payout of 14.00 your bet.

   

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