MatchThe opposition lowdown: Aston Villa

Recent form

Villa arrive into the game off the back of a Europa Conference League semi-final exit at the hands of Olympiacos.

Emery’s side were beaten 2-0 in Piraeus on Thursday night, having lost the first leg at Villa Park 4-2.

In the Premier League, Villa could secure a top-four finish with a win over the Reds, but were beaten by Brighton & Hove Albion in their last league outing. That 1-0 loss, however, was their only defeat in five league matches.

The opposition view

Frankie Maguire, All Villa No Filler podcast

On Villa’s season…

It has been a fantastic season so far. The fans have witnessed incredible victories, with wins over Manchester City and Arsenal being standout moments. We have also seen a few big losses - including against this excellent Liverpool side - but the team tends to respond to setbacks, suggesting Unai Emery has instilled resilience and a strong mentality in his players.

In the last few weeks, Villa’s squad has looked threadbare. The club’s frustratingly long injury list was a factor in recent losses to Brighton and Olympiacos. Recent injuries to Youri Tielemans, Nicolo Zaniolo, Alex Moreno and Morgan Rogers have placed further stress on a side already missing key players long term, like Boubacar Kamara. During last Thursday’s loss in Greece, Emery only had a selection of inexperienced young players to bring off the bench.

However, Emery does not dwell on these setbacks and publicly speaks of a ‘no excuse’ culture. This is a very different Aston Villa to what we have witnessed in recent years, and the fans hope this is the start of a positive new era. A Conference League semi-final in our first real run in Europe in 16 years was an achievement. Qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in the modern era would be an outstanding way to finish the season.

On their key players…

Ollie Watkins is perhaps Villa’s most important player. He has been one of the best performers in the Premier League this season, with 19 goals, and also leads the charts with 12 assists. He runs relentlessly across the opposition back line and his link-up play and finishing have also reached an elite level under Emery. Watkins is a superb, physical striker and a credit to Villa. He must surely be in the England squad for the Euros.

Leon Bailey is an electrifying player who has enjoyed a superb season. The Jamaican winger was very inconsistent in his first two years at Villa, but something has clicked under Emery. When Villa struggle to break a side down, Bailey often looks the most likely to hurt the opposition. He is a brilliant player.

There are not many goalkeepers in the world as talented as Emi Martinez. The World Cup winner had a transformative effect on Argentina, and he has had a similar impact at Villa. His distribution is superb, and he regularly makes spectacular saves. Opposition supporters may not love Martinez, but the Villa fans adore him.

On Emery…

Having followed Aston Villa for more than 30 years, I have never seen a coach have such a transformative and inspirational impact as Unai Emery. The fans, players and board have totally bought in to everything he has done during his year-and-a-half in charge. Emery has introduced a composed footballing style to Villa and coached the team to be brave and attack-minded. Emery wants his players to retain the ball at the back and deliberately build our attacks from defence. It has often been a remarkable watch. Villa had endured a miserable decade or so (except for large parts of the Dean Smith era), but Emery has massively raised standards. He has shown himself to be a class individual both on and off the pitch. Long may it continue.

Likely XI: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Carlos, Pau, Digne, Bailey, Luiz, McGinn, Diaby, Watkins.

Team news

Speaking after Villa’s Conference League exit, Emery said: “Each day is going to be very important because some players are with a small injury, having pain and there’s not a date when they will come back.

“Like Zaniolo - he’s close but until he’s feeling comfortable with his pain then he’s not available to play. Hopefully he can progress.

“Tielemans is close; Alex Moreno has a small injury and he needs some days, maybe he could be available.”

Previous meetings

Liverpool were victorious when the sides met at Anfield in September, with goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah, plus a Matty Cash own goal, securing a 3-0 win for the Reds.

Liverpool have won on each of their last two visits to Villa Park, triumphing 3-1 in December 2022 and 2-1 in May of that year.

What they said

Villa head coach Emery

“We are motivated and excited. Of course, we have to be frustrated but not a lot because only one team can win [the Conference League]. If we are frustrated a lot, it doesn’t make sense.

“My idea is to recover myself as well and my message is clear: move on. We have to try to finish the season doing an amazing, amazing season if we are getting the objective in front.

“Even if we are without it, we are in Europe next year in the Europa League.”