The international break has finally passed, and Liverpool make a welcome return to action on Saturday evening at Anfield where they’ll take on Aston Villa. Ben Twelves looks ahead to the match.
Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool responded perfectly to defeat against Manchester City, recording an impressive 3-0 victory against Tottenham last time out, and the Reds will be looking to build on that excellent result when they take on a Villa side who have become somewhat of a bogey team in recent seasons on Merseyside.
The Reds – who go into Saturday’s game in search of recording back to back wins for the first time this early season – will have to become the first team to beat Paul Lambert’s improving side this campaign however, with the Villains currently sitting above Liverpool in the table having won two and drawn one of their opening three matches.
Last season’s corresponding fixture provided one of the very few frustrations in a magnificent season for the Reds, as an ultra-attacking team selection from Rodgers – who later admitted he was “too aggressive” in his choice – back fired in a frustrating 2-2 draw.
The away side raced into a 2-0 lead in a woeful first half at a shell-shocked Anfield thanks to goals from Andreas Weimann and Christian Benteke, but Daniel Sturridge halved the deficit and dragged the Reds back into the match after latching onto and finishing off a clever flick from Jordan Henderson just before half time.
A change of shape and personnel at the interval improved the home side who levelled through a Steven Gerrard penalty at the Kop end early in the second half, but Rodgers side couldn’t force home a dramatic winner in a game that ended all square.
Team News
Goal-machine Sturridge is frustratingly ruled out of the clash, and for the next few matches, after he picked up a thigh injury while Roy Hodgson tested his resolve again on international duty.
More bad news is that Emre Can is also ruled out after returning from international duty with an ankle injury that Rodgers confirmed in his pre-match press conference could keep him out for up to six weeks. Joe Allen is set to be assessed ahead of the match after also reporting back to Melwood with an ankle problem.
Martin Skrtel and Glen Johnson – who both missed the comfortable win against Spurs through injury – are unavilable again meaning Mamadou Sakho and Javier Manquillo are likely to keep their places in the back four that kept the Reds first clean sheet of the season, alongside Dejan Lovren and Alberto Moreno.
Better news however is that Henderson, who hobbled out of England training after reportedly falling awkwardly on his ankle but bizarrely played all 90 minutes for Hodgson’s side in Switzerland, is seemingly fit for the match after a brief scare.
Rodgers also confirmed that Adam Lallana is fit to play and he could receive his first outing in a red shirt on Saturday. Lazar Markovic will be hoping to be handed his first start at Anfield and Philippe Coutinho too will be eager for a recall to the starting XI.
With Sturridge injured and Liverpool suddenly looking light of striking options, Fabio Borini’s decision to reject moves away from Merseyside in order to fight for his Liverpool future could turn out to be a blessing in disguise, and the Italian striker will be determined to grab any chance that comes his way.
Opposition
Despite disappointing back-to-back league campaigns, Aston Villa have stuck by manager Paul Lambert as they continue to show faith that he is the man to take them forward.
The struggling Scotsman conducted a shape up in the summer, as he brought in Roy Keane as his new assistant manager and also recruited six new players in the transfer window including former Reds, Joe Cole and Aly Cissokho – who could be set for a return to Anfield – as well as Philippe Senderos, Kieran Richardson, Carlos Sanchez and Tom Cleverley.
Two wins from their opening three games have given Villa a strong start to the season and they’ll be looking to keep their positive opening running for as long as possible – something that will be easier said than done – with all of their next five fixtures coming against last season’s top five teams, starting and ending on Merseyside.
The Villains have been on the losing side only once in their last five visits to Anfield – their last defeat coming in a 3-0 loss in December 2010 – when the Reds were under the guidance of England boss Hodgson.
The fourth league game of the season will once again feature in live television coverage, with the match being shown on Sky Sports 1 and kick off at Anfield coming at 5:30pm.
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