MY ACCOUNT
Liverpool trail Premier League leaders Manchester City by three points with just three games to go.
And the Reds will be aiming to put the pressure back on the Citizens when they travel to Aston Villa on Tuesday.
Jurgen Klopp’s men had to settle for a point at home to Tottenham last time out — a result that brought an end to their six-game winning streak in all competitions — and it looks like a tall order for them to catch City.
With an FA Cup final against Chelsea on Saturday and a Champions League showpiece against Real Madrid to look forward to at the end of this month, Liverpool have some great opportunities to win more silverware.
But they will not be downing tools just yet in the title race.
Liverpool take on a Villa side that have rediscovered their mojo of late, with a 0-0 draw against Leicester followed by a 2-0 victory over Norwich City and a 3-1 triumph at Burnley.
A top-half finish is still well in reach for the Villans and with Steven Gerrard looking to showcase his managerial credentials to his former employers, this could turn out to be a hotly-contested battle in the West Midlands.
Team news
With just three days between this match and Villa’s 3-1 victory at Burnley, boss Gerrard could be tempted to rotate his options and ex-Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho may be recalled after dropping to the bench last time out.
Midfield starlet Jacob Ramsey missed the game at Turf Moor due to a groin injury and is a major doubt, while defender Kortney Hause remains sidelined with an abdominal problem and Leon Bailey is facing a race against time to recover from an ankle issue.
As for Liverpool, Klopp is expected to make tweaks to his starting XI with one eye on the FA Cup final. Joe Gomez and Kostas Tsimikas are likely to fill the full-back positions.
Naby Keita, Diogo Jota and Joel Matip are also pushing for starts, while Roberto Firmino should return to the bench after he was not risked for the draw against Spurs.
The stats
Villa are on a three-game unbeaten streak heading into the contest and with ninth-placed Brighton just four points ahead of them, the incentive of a top-10 finish is still there.
Home form has been a cause for concern with just two wins in eight league games at Villa Park.
But they have tasted victory in their own back yard four times from 11 top-flight matches since Gerrard took the reins.
Shutting out opposition has been tricky for the West Midlands outfit, with just five clean sheets from 16 home league outings and they may find it tough to keep out the division’s second-highest scorers.
Liverpool’s tally of 87 goals is only bettered by City (89) and despite being held to a 1-1 draw by Spurs last time out, that result did extend the Reds’ unbeaten streak across all competitions to 14 matches.
Klopp’s troops have also suffered just one away defeat from their last 11 league games — a 1-0 loss to Leicester in December — while they have only failed to score in one of their previous 27 top-flight games on the road.
Predictions
With Liverpool trying to put the pressure on City and Villa still battling to finish as high up the table as they can, this could turn out to be an open, entertaining affair.
This should bring in the possibility of some goals being witnessed at Villa Park and recent history between the two teams suggests the back of the net could be bulging on a regular basis.
Barring the most recent clash in December, which ended in a 1-0 win for the Reds, eight of the last nine meetings between Villa and Liverpool have seen over 2.5 goals.
Of those nine matches, both teams to score has come off six times and there is every chance both sides will have success in the final third on Tuesday night.
