What: English Premier League
Who: Aston Villa vs Liverpool
When: Sunday 31st March, 2013, at 13:30 UK Time
Where: Villa Park, Birmingham, England

Aston Villa Battle Towards Safety

A massive win over Queens Park Rangers last time out has given Aston Villa some much needed breathing space over the international break. Paul Lambert’s side are however still just three points ahead of Wigan Athletic, who have both a game in hand and superior goal difference. This is a battle against relegation that promises to go the wire and Aston Villa must be careful not to let the euphoria of their last win go to their heads.

Aston Villa have a surprisingly good record against opponents Liverpool, with just one defeat in their last four meetings. Lambert also has a particularly good record against Reds’ boss Brendan Rodgers, having won the last three encounters of two of the British Isles’ most promising young coaches.

Earlier in this season Aston Villa shocked Liverpool with a superb display as they won 3-1 at Anfield. They have now won two games in a row against direct relegation rivals, but it is almost three years since they won three in a row. There are signs that the Midlands side are learning how to find the net with Gabriel Agbonlahor, Andreas Weimann and Christian Benteke all looking good. Aston Villa’s goalscoring form at home remains poor though – they have scored fewer than any other team apart from Queens Park Rangers at home.

Liverpool Look To Revive Good Form

Just when it seemed Liverpool had turned a corner the Reds stumble into the same old inconsistency once again. Four wins in a row in all competitions, in which they scored 15 goals, were brought crashing to an end by an effervescent Southampton team last time out.

As Liverpool come into the final straights of this season, they are looking to finish as well as possible to create the momentum for a sustained push for the top four next year. It is still possible that they could finish in the top four this time, but defeats like the one at Southampton mean they are likely to miss out.

Yet there is still a sense that Brendan Rodgers has done a decent job and is slowly developing a good team at Anfield. In Luis Suarez, they arguably have the player of the season, who has scored 11 goals in his last 11 games. What makes Suarez so dangerous is that defenders never quite know what he is going to do next. Gareth Bale and Robin van Persie, for all their brilliance, do tend to get the ball on their left foot as soon as possible and there is an inevitability to their virtuoso brilliance, but Suarez is consistently world class and unpredictable at the same time, making him a nightmare to defend against.

With Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho around him, he has become even better, as now he is given more license to be free and make the most of his talents, rather than making sure he occupies that centre forward position. Suarez has already developed a good relationship on the pitch with the two January arrivals and they have been key to Liverpool’s good form in the second half of the season. With Steven Gerrard and Lucas Leiva behind them, there is the nucleus of a very fine team being formed.
 

Recent form

Aston Villa:
Aston Villa 0-1 Manchester City (04/03; Premier League)
Reading 1-2 Aston Villa (09/03; Premier League)
Aston Villa 3-2 QPR (16/03; Premier League)

Liverpool:
Wigan Athletic 0-4 Liverpool (10/02; Premier League)
Liverpool 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur (10/03; Premier League)
Southampton 3-1 Liverpool (16/03; Premier League)

   
Key absences

Aston Villa: Ciaran Clark (doubt); Brett Holman (doubt); Richard Dunne; Chris Herd; Marc Albrighton

Liverpool: Joe Allen; Fabio Borini; Martin Kelly

Players to watch

Aston Villa – Christian Benteke: Benteke is the obvious but clear threat for Aston Villa. With eight goals in his last ten, the Belgian forward is in fine form and he has shown a taste for playing the big teams this season. He caused no end of problems for Liverpool at Anfield, netting twice, and he will be the danger man in this encounter. His team will look to use his hold-up play and ability to brush a man aside to create space for the likes of Weimann and Agbonlahor.

Liverpool – Steven Gerrard: Gerrard has struck 10 goals against Aston Villa in the Premier League – no team have been the victim of the Englishman’s finishing prowess more often. He has enjoyed a mid-season renaissance of sorts and is also one of just three players in the English top flight to have not missed a minute of the current season. Gerrard has thrived in particular since the return of Lucas and has adapted intelligently to playing deeper as age catches up with him. But he still has much to offer his club.

Match Prediction

As usual Liverpool will look to monopolise possession and pressure their opponents. Rodgers will hope that his star forward Suarez, a leading contender for the Premier League Player of the Year award, will return at his sharpest from international duty. Suarez’s Uruguay experienced a damaging few days, particularly with a defeat by Chile, and the Liverpool man may yet be sanctioned for punching an opponent. 

At the other end of the pitch Liverpool must be wary of not just Benteke but also Weimann, who has been an underrated catalyst for Aston Villa’s recent upturn in form. His constant running is notable, but his touch and intelligence on the ball are vital too and he has made a habit of making decisive contributions.

Aston Villa do not lack spirit or energy, and are not short on skill either for that matter, but their inexperience inevitably leads to errors and with Suarez and Coutinho in their ranks, Liverpool have more than enough about them to capitalise on any mistakes the home team make. A valiant defeat awaits for Aston Villa. Aston Villa 1-2 Liverpool.

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