Prediction: Liverpool vs Aston Villa

6th April 2012

Liverpool desperately need a win after losing six of their last seven Premier League games, even if the Reds have nothing to play for but pride. Aston Villa, on the other hand, have everything to play for after back to back defeats to Arsenal and Chelsea left them just five points clear of the bottom three.

Having finished last season on a high and invested considerable amounts of cash in new players over the summer, Liverpool looked to be heading for a very successful season. Nevertheless, the Reds found a way to disappoint their fans, as they have done so many times over the past decade, and are now fighting to restore some of the lost dignity. Kenny Dalglish’s men may have won the Carling Cup title and reached the FA Cup semi-finals, but after losing six of their last seven Premier League games, the Reds clearly face a mountain to climb as they battle to end the season in good spirits. The 2-0 defeat at St James Park, their third in a row, proved very costly as Pepe Reina received a red card that resulted in a three-match ban, meaning that former Roma keeper Doni will finally get a chance to show what he is made of. Daniel Agger could make his return after the lengthy spell on the sidelines, but Charlie Adam and Lucas Leiva are both long-term casualties.

Aston Villa fans, too, had high hopes before the season started as they believed new boss Alex McLeish would manage to get more from the team than his predecessors. The Villans indeed had a bright start to the league campaign, having gone unbeaten in first seven games, but their good run was short lived and Villa soon started slipping towards the bottom half of the standings. Back to back defeats to Arsenal and Chelsea didn’t prove too costly as the Midlands side remained five points clear of the bottom three, but that is by no means a safe distance even if Villa now have a game in hand. Everybody at the club is hoping that Stiliyan Petrov’s battle for life will inspire his teammates at the crucial stage of the season, but that alone will not be enough and Big Eck knows that his side need to show instant improvement if they are to avoid slipping into the relegation zone. The good news is that Charles N’Zogbia and Alan Hutton are back in contention, but Carlos Cuellar and Andreas Weimann remain injury doubts.

Conclusion

Liverpool have no choice but to attack their opponents from the off, hoping that a morale-boosting victory can kick-start their season. Aston Villa could use that to their advantage as Liverpool’s weakened defence will be left exposed at times and Villans can be very dangerous on the break. Taking everything into account, over 2.5 goals looks a good bet here.

Verdict: Over 2.5 goals

Best Odds: 4/5

Bookmaker: Ladbrokes