Aston Villa v Liverpool – Premier League preview, team news, expected lineups, how to watch on TV and prediction

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Aston Villa vs Liverpool match preview

Liverpool are in midweek Premier League action for the second week running as they look to continue their pursuit of the title with a trip to Aston Villa.

The Reds restored their seven point lead ahead of challengers Arsenal on Sunday with an edgy 2-1 home win over Wolves and Wednesday night’s trip to Villa Park looks far from straightforward, either, especially having won only two of seven on the road.

While Unai Emery’s men have struggled to reach their heights from last season in 2024-25, they still boast an impressive record as hosts, having not suffered defeat in the league on home soil since losing to Arsenal in August.

That run reached 12 games with a 1-1 draw against Ipswich on Saturday but it was another frustrating afternoon for the Villans, with the struggling Tractor Boys playing the majority of the encounter with 10 men.

Still, Arne Slot will know Emery’s men are still capable of pulling out a result against a big side on their day, having seen off the likes of Manchester City and Bayern Munich at Villa Park this season.

The pair played out a 3-3 draw in this fixture last season but the Reds have enjoyed eight wins from the previous nine Premier League meetings at Villa Park, the only exception being an astonishing 7-2 win for Villa during the Coronavirus-impacted 2020-21 season.

Aston Villa vs Liverpool team news

Liverpool will be sweating on the fitness of Cody Gakpo after the Dutch forward missed Sunday’s win over Wolves after a knock against Everton.

Tyler Morton and Joe Gomez remain out, but Curtis Jones is back from a ban and is expected to come in for Dominik Szoboszlai as Slot looks to manage a hectic schedule.

The hosts’ defensive crisis continued on Saturday when makeshift centre-back Boubacar Kamara limped off only 16 minutes into the draw against Ipswich.

Tyrone Mings was able to replace him and should start alongside January loan signing Axel Disasi, with Ezri Konsa set to remain on the sidelines with Pau Torres, Matty Cash, Ross Barkley and Amadou Onana.

Leon Bailey is also a doubt after sitting out the weekend’s action. Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio could make their first starts after bright cameos off the bench.

Aston Villa: Martinez, Garcia, Disasi, Mings, Digne, Tielemans, McGinn, Malen, Rogers, Rashford, Watkins

Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Konate, Robertson, Gravenberch, Jones, Mac Allister, Salah, Nunez, Diaz




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