Liverpool were humbled by Real Madrid in the Champions League in midweek, losing the first leg of the quarter-finals 3-1 and with this dented confidence, they now have to face Aston Villa.
Liverpool have lost their last 6 home matches and they could slump to yet another loss at Anfield this weekend given that Jurgen Klopp will have the second leg vs Real Madrid in mind.
The manager made a couple of changes to his starting line-up in midweek but most of them turned out to be failures. Some expect him to name his strongest side on Saturday but we think he will once again experiment with his line-up simply cause he needs to rest some key players before Madrid come to town.
The last time these two sides met in the Premier League, Villa came out as 7-2 winners and it will not be a total surprise if Dean Smith’s side picked up three points this weekend as well. With teams like Spurs and Chelsea dropping points in the previous matchweek, Liverpool have been a great chance to sneak back into the top-four but for that, they will have to ensure they do not slip up on Saturday.
Liverpool team news vs Aston Villa:
Alisson did not have the best of nights on Tuesday but will remain in goal. The defensive line in front of him is likely to change though.
Nat Phillips and Ozan Kabak were doing pretty well up until last weekend but against Real Madrid, they were carved open multiple times which is why the manager could look to bring in someone like Ben Davies into the line-up on Saturday.
Trent Alexander-Arnold also had a disappointing day in Spain with Real Madrid having a clear plan to bypass him. And just to take him out of the firing line, the manager could opt to rest him vs Villa, in which case, James Milner will come back into the side.
Naby Keita got a rare start vs Madrid but he was a total failure in midweek which is why Klopp is expected to go with the safest options in midfield this weekend. The trio of Fabinho, Thiago and Wijnaldum should start in the middle of the pitch.
Sadio Mane and Mo Salah were once again below par as Liverpool could manage only one shot on target during the whole match. And there’s a big possibility that both of them could be rested on Saturday.
If this is the case then Xherdan Shaqiri and Firmino will come back into the side with Diogo Jota playing on the left wing.
Stats via Whoscored.
