Premier League: Stevie G Makes His Anfield Return

Liverpool vs Aston Villa

Aston Villa head north to take on Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool on Saturday and the Midlands team hopes to continue its recent upturn in form, following a change of management.  

Of course, this Saturday afternoon date at Anfield, Premier League: Liverpool vs Aston Villa, brings one of the most popular figures in recent Mersey history back to his spiritual home, and it will be an emotional return for Villa boss Steven Gerrard. The former Reds midfield general is still haunted by the slip he made against Chelsea in 2014. His stumble let in Demba Ba to score a goal which cost Liverpool a victory when they seemed destined to win a first title in 24 years.

The Mersey giants had to wait another six seasons for their title but the fans will have forgiven their former hero, if forgiveness was indeed needed.      

Last week Gerrard met his old manager, Brendan Rodgers, when Villa hosted Leicester City and he picked up an impressive win there, on the right side of a 2-1 result. And Liverpool too come into the game on the back of a 2-1 win, when a much changed side beat AC Milan in the Champions League; a result which meant the Reds have become the first English club to win all six of their Champions League group games.

Second against tenth looks like a home win; but there’ll be plenty of drama in this one and, however much he loves Liverpool, Gerrard would dearly love to pick up a shock win.   

 

Talking Points

Sensational Salah has plenty of back-up

The form of Liverpool’s Egyptian striker Mo Salah is simply world class at the moment.  He’s on the hunt for an incredible double as he leads the race for the Premier League Golden Boot with 13 goals from 15 games, and he scored seven in the Champions League group stages, only bettered by Robert Lewandowski and Sebastian Haller.   

Salah’s contract expires in 2023 and that must be a priority for Klopp, but he can have no doubt that his man will avoid any off field distraction as he goes about his day job of shredding defences Europe wide. He finished seventh in the voting for the 2021 Ballon D’Or and that caused some consternation among pundits; at the moment he is staking a claim to be the best player on the planet.

Alongside Salah Liverpool have some of the sharpest strikers in the league and Klopp rates his £40m forward Diogo Jota very highly; he’s scored eight league goals, while Senegalese striker Sadio Mane is back to his best adding seven. And, with Brazilian Roberto Firmino out injured, the door has opened for Divock Origi . The big Belgian scored a 94^th minute winner for the Reds away to Wolves last week, and he was in goal action again in midweek, scoring Liverpool’s second in the San Siro.

The Reds were pushed all the way by Wolves but they were ruthless in the recent Merseyside derby when a goal from Jordan Henderson, one from Jota and a brace from Salah silenced the Goodison Park faithful as Liverpool ran out 4-1 winners. 

 

Gerrard’s immediate impact 

Three wins in four games since the arrival of Gerrard has lifted Aston Villa up to tenth place. At the point of his arrival they had lost five on the bounce and were about to drop into the relegation zone. Only a 2-1 defeat to league leaders, Manchester City has blotted the boss’s copybook, with wins over Crystal Palace, Brighton and Leicester City bringing in nine much needed points.

The pre-match Liverpool vs Aston Villa betting odds heavily back the Reds to win, but the Villains have surprised Klopp’s teams before and the Gerrard factor makes this a very interesting contest. The new boss has injury worries with striker Danny Ings and winger Leon Bailey out for this game, but he can rely on the steady form of Ollie Watkins who has bagged four goals, and the midfield wizardry of John McGinn, who has three goals and two assists; the Scot scored the crucial second in Villa’s win over Crystal Palace.

Centre back Tyrone Mings will have his England credentials seriously tested at Anfield while the excellent Emiliano Martinez will need to be at his very best as the last line of defence.   

 

History

The Reds have enjoyed the better of the head to head Liverpool vs Aston Villa results, winning 31 of the 54 meetings in the Premier League era, and last season Liverpool won 2-1 at Anfield as Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold scored. But earlier in the season the Villains pulled off the result of the campaign when they thrashed Klopp’s side 7-2 at Villa Park as Watkins scored a hat-trick; and two years ago Villa handed out a 5-0 thumping to the Reds in the EFL Cup quarter final.

 

Betting Tip

	Liverpool vs Aston Villa	Total Goals 4-6 @ 2.25
	December 11, 23:00 (GMT+8)

With Liverpool at SBOTOP odds of 1.23 to win and Aston Villa at 9.40, it seems that Gerrard’s chances of putting one over his former employers are slim, but a draw at 5.99 can’t be ruled out, given Villa’s start under their new head coach.  I think there will be plenty of goals in this one, and expect Salah to add another one, two or three to his tally.

 

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