Premier League is well on its way and for Gameweek 4, Liverpool are set to face Aston Villa at Anfield at 13:00 GMT on Sunday.
The Reds have 7 points from a possible 9 while Aston Villa have racked up 2 wins against Everton and Burnley after losing 5-1 to Newcastle in the first match. Both the teams are in good form with Liverpool turning a 1-0 goal deficit into a 2-1 win despite being down to ten men and Villa has scored a total of 12 goals in their last 3 matches while conceding only 1.
Activities in the Transfer Market
With the transfer market fast approaching its end, both clubs are trying to end the window on a high note, with Liverpool giving one last push to long-time target Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern. Aston Villa has also secured the signing of Clement Lenglet on a season-long deal from Barcelona.
The Villians under Unai Emery has a lot of ambition this season which can be seen with their other signings which include the likes of Pau Toress, Youri Tielemans, Mousa Diaby and Nicolo Zaniolo.
Liverpool has also been busy in the transfer market mainly focusing in the middle of the pitch with Mac Allister, Szoboszlai and Endo.
Suspensions and Injury
Virgil Van Dijk will be suspended in a match against Aston Villa due to the red card he received in his last match. Thiago is expected to sit this one out as well. Stefan Bajcetic might make the bench as he did against Newcastle and come on for a late appearance while the current status of Curtis Jones and Konate are not but are mostly expected not to feature this week.
On the other hand, former Reds icon Phillipe Coutinho won’t be getting a chance to play against his former team as he is sidelined with injury. Joining him are Tyrone Mings, Leander Dendoncker, Emiliano Buendia, and Jacob Ramsey. Golden Glove winner, Emiliano Martinez also remains a doubt for the match at Anfield as he was substituted during their Conference League playoff win.
Liverpool have faced Villa 201 times winning 101 games and drawing 41. Their biggest loss came in the 2020-21 season when Liverpool lost the game 7-2 and their last outing ended with a 1-1 draw which potentially destroyed all chances of a Champions League spot for Liverpool. So Klopp’s side would be hoping to return the favour with the match happening at Anfield.
Predicted Lineups and Verdict
Liverpool predicted lineup – Allison, Trent, Gomez, Matip, Robertson, Endo, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Diaz, Jota, Salah.
Darwin Nunez could start the match but Klopp just might keep him as the trump card with Jota being equally good in the last match. Cody Gakpo has been underwhelming in the last two matches and will probably not get the nod from Jurgen Klopp this Sunday. Academy product Quansah got his first team debut in the last match and might just start later on in the match.
Aston Villa predicted lineup – Olsen; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Luiz; Bailey, Diaby, McGinn; Watkins.
Villa dominated in the match against Everton and it is looking like the new team is slowly gelling together and can potentially cause a lot of problems for this Liverpool side. Zaniolo might also get some minutes on Sunday.
Many eyebrows were raised about how Liverpool is starting their season with an incomplete squad but so far they have turned around both the matches they were losing. Szobozslai and Jota have been exceptional with Salah being his usual best. Diaz is going back to his usual self and Allison rarely puts in a bad performance. With Van Dijk out, Trent might start as the captain which means he must be more careful and not make defensive mistakes like he did in the last match against Newcastle.
It remains to be seen whether or not Emery’s men can give Liverpool their first loss of the season.
