Liverpool vs. Aston Villa: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info
Brendan Rodgers is in crisis mode as Liverpool manager, and the visit of Midlands hopefuls Aston Villa to Anfield on Saturday provides the Northern Irishman with an opportunity to redeem himself after a disastrous run of form.
After scraping past League Two side Carlisle United via penalty shootout in Wednesday night's League Cup third-round tie, Rodgers' team now faces up against an ambitious Villa outfit led by the charismatic Tim Sherwood.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Rodgers is well acquainted with his 46-year-old counterpart after Liverpool fell to defeat in last season's FA Cup semi-final against Villa, with goals from Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph cancelling out Philippe Coutinho's opener—Rodgers had no answer to Sherwood's bold tactics on that April afternoon at Wembley.
Sherwood, who saw his side defeat second-city rivals Birmingham City in their cup clash in midweek, will be hoping to strike another blow to a vulnerable Rodgers in order to drag the Villans up the Premier League table.
With just four points between them heading into the seventh set of fixtures in the English top flight, Liverpool and Villa find themselves in similar situations at this early stage.
Can Rodgers inspire his flagging side to another triumphant resurgence, or will Sherwood reinforce his credentials as tactical mastermind?
Date: Saturday, 26 September, 2015
Time: 3 p.m. BST / 10 a.m. ET
Venue: Anfield, Liverpool
TV Info: beIN Sports 12 (U.S. only)
Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect (U.S. only)
Form Lines
Liverpool: LLDDD
Aston Villa: WDLLW
Team News
Heaping problems on the beleaguered Rodgers, Liverpool head into Saturday's clash with a host of key players in the treatment room.
Jordan Henderson broke a bone in his foot in training earlier in September, and the Reds captain will remain in the stands, leaving Lucas Leiva, James Milner, Emre Can, Joe Allen and Jordan Rossiter as the central-midfield options. Further injuries to Benteke, Roberto Firmino and Dejan Lovren leave Liverpool short in all departments.
"All three will obviously not be available for the weekend," Rodgers told reporters on Friday morning, as relayed by the club's official website, before elaborating:
"Christian will probably be out for a little bit of time.
Young Firmino landed awkwardly in the game the other night and there is another scan on his back, but he may have cracked a bone in his back. We’ll see how he’ll be over the coming weeks, but certainly he’ll be unavailable for tomorrow.
And Dejan Lovren will be out for probably a few weeks with his ligament injury. So, unfortunately, those three are unavailable.
"
Rodgers' only other absentee is set to be full-back Jon Flanagan, who is recovering from a long-term knee injury.
Villa will be able to welcome back key midfielder Idrissa Gana, who missed the clashes with West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham with a hamstring injury, while fellow summer signing Adama Traore could also feature after returning to training following an ankle problem.
Sherwood praised Gana on his return to Villa's Bodymoor training facility, relayed by the Press Association (h/t Eurosport):
"Gana is training, he might be playing tomorrow. The specialist got a magic wand out—Paul Daniels his name was.
He has been a revelation since he's come in. He is one of the new guys who has been outstanding. I'm really calm about the situation. I won't panic. Idrissa has probably been the best purchase.
"
Club captain Gabby Agbonlahor could take part despite suffering an injury in Tuesday's League Cup win, while Gary Gardner and Jores Okore will both miss out.
Predicted Lineups
Hampered by injury, Rodgers has a series of selection dilemmas to contend with as he deploys his Liverpool side, looking for victory.
Firstly, the manager must decide whether to stick with the 3-4-2-1/3-4-1-2 formation that saw his side improve in form against Bordeaux, Norwich City and Carlisle or revert to a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 setup—it is likely he will favour a three-man defence, however.
With Can, Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho providing a stable back line in 2014/15 and at times this campaign, Rodgers could restore the trio as a defence, with Nathaniel Clyne and Alberto Moreno taking up wing-back roles.
James Milner will captain the Reds in Henderson's absence, with Rodgers left to select from the experienced Lucas or 18-year-old academy product Rossiter to play alongside him in midfield.
Both Daniel Sturridge and Danny Ings are set to start in attack, according to the Liverpool Echo's James Pearce, leaving Philippe Coutinho or Adam Lallana to take up the No. 10 role in a 3-4-1-2.
Sherwood has favoured a 4-3-3 formation this season, utilising his depth in the midfield ranks, and this is likely to continue for Villa's trip to Anfield.
Deciding between Leandro Bacuna or Alan Hutton at right-back will go down to the wire, with the bullish Scot possibly given the nod because of his defensive tendencies.
Micah Richards, Joleon Lescott and the impressive Jordan Amavi are likely to complete Villa's back four.
In midfield, Sherwood could utilise Gana in a starting role, but with Carlos Sanchez, Ashley Westwood and Jordan Veretout striking a nice balance in the victory over Birmingham, the Senegalese may have to settle for a place on the substitutes' bench.
With Rudy Gestede and Jack Grealish firmly established as Villa's two most influential attackers, Sherwood is left with only one other selection quandary: Jordan Ayew or Carles Gil on the right-hand side of his three-man attack.
But with Ayew also impressive in midweek, expect the 24-year-old to retain his place at Anfield.
Likely Liverpool XI: Mignolet; Can, Skrtel, Sakho; Clyne, Lucas, Milner, Moreno; Coutinho; Ings, Sturridge.
Likely Villa XI: Guzan; Hutton, Richards, Lescott, Amavi; Sanchez, Westwood, Veretout; Ayew, Gestede, Grealish.
Players to Watch
Alberto Moreno
Moreno was in blistering form in Liverpool's 1-1 draw with Norwich in the Premier League last time out, and the Spanish left-back is set to continue his attacking role for Liverpool against Villa.
Employed in an advanced wing-back position alongside left-sided centre-back Sakho, Moreno is given the freedom to drive toward the opposition penalty area, and the six key passes he made against the Canaries—more than any other player—highlights just how effective he can be on the edge of the 18-yard box.
The variety of Moreno's delivery will test Villa's back line, with either Bacuna or Hutton left to deal with his phenomenal pace.
Jack Grealish
Writing for uMAXit Football, Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe asked whether Grealish had already become Villa's best player:
"Not only is Grealish now an undroppable presence the fans feed off, he’s also arguably the best overall player in the squad.
With Benteke and Delph departed he’s taken on a new mantle of chief creative outlet, and with his first Villa goal firmly under his belt, the fans will look to him every week in hope and expectation.
"
This status brings great expectation whenever the 20-year-old pulls on a Villa shirt, but as his strong start to the 2015/16 season attests, he is every bit ready to take on the responsibility of being Sherwood's leading man.
Possessing the deftest of touches, a Dennis Bergkamp-like guile and a growing confidence in his ability, Grealish is a player to be cherished by Villa supporters—and in Rodgers' case, feared.
Key Battle
Ings and Sturridge vs. Richards and Lescott
The likelihood of Rodgers teaming Ings and a half-fit Sturridge in an attacking partnership is born of both desperation and pragmatism from the Ulsterman given their strong signs of chemistry in the draw with Norwich.
Ings' work rate and movement combined with Sturridge's pace and dynamism to hint at a top-level partnership in the making, and this could be a major worry for Villa centre-backs Richards and Lescott.
Good friends Richards and Sturridge will be looking forward to pitting their talents against each other, but the Villa man's aggressive, front-footed style has left him worryingly out of position at times this season, and the fluid partnership of Sturridge and Ings could exploit this—along with Lescott's lack of pace.
Sherwood, however, will be hoping his experienced Premier League defence possesses the requisite nous to shackle Liverpool's bright attack.
Odds
Liverpool win: 5/9
Aston Villa win: 17/5
Draw: 13/2
Via Oddschecker and correct at time of writing.
Statistics via WhoScored.com.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
