Aston Villa Takes On Liverpool: Bold Predictions, Key Battles, and Expected Lineups Revealed

Champions League hopefuls Aston Villa and Liverpool face off in the penultimate Premier League matchday on Friday evening.

The two sides are separated only by goal difference, both sitting in prime position to secure the final two available Champions League spots. However, with Brighton & Hove Albion and Bournemouth breathing down their necks, the pressure is immense heading into this showdown at Villa Park.

A win would seal a top-five finish for either Villa or Liverpool, while a draw may also suffice depending on how Bournemouth fare against Manchester City the following Tuesday.

Villa will have half their attention on the Europa League final next Wednesday, where a win over Freiburg in Istanbul would also lock in their Champions League place. Liverpool, meanwhile, will look to capitalize on any loss of focus as they seek to bounce back from disappointing results against Manchester United and Chelsea over the last two weeks.

Here's Sports Illustrated's preview of this Midlands showdown.

Aston Villa vs. Liverpool Score Prediction

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Tipping Liverpool for wins has been a risky proposition for much of this campaign, but calling a victory for them at Villa Park is as much a reflection of their opponents as it is of Arne Slot's squad.

Villa are likely to ring the changes with the Europa League final in mind, potentially handing fringe players a chance to impress—a tactic Emery employed ahead of the second leg of their European semifinal against Nottingham Forest.

That rotation led to a disjointed and poor showing against Tottenham Hotspur, resulting in a heavy defeat, and a similar performance on Friday would spell trouble for Villa once again.

Even without being at their best, Liverpool possess enough quality to trouble Emery's side.

Prediction: Aston Villa 1–2 Liverpool

Aston Villa Predicted Lineup vs. Liverpool

Players such as Ollie Watkins, John McGinn and Pau Torres may be rested ahead of the Europa League final, though a solid core featuring Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Ezri Konsa and Emi Martínez is still expected to feature.

On the injury front, Villa are missing only central midfielders Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana, with Lamare Bogarde potentially stepping in to provide energy in the double pivot in their absence.

Harvey Elliott is cup-tied against his parent club and would not have been selected regardless. Slot has since confirmed that the Liverpool loanee will head back to Anfield for preseason as he looks to revive his career.

Aston Villa predicted lineup vs. Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Martínez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen; Bogarde, Tielemans; Sancho, Barkley, Rogers; Abraham.

Liverpool Predicted Lineup vs. Aston Villa

The encouraging news for Liverpool is that Salah is back in contention after injury, though Slot has noted he is only available for "a few minutes." The Dutch manager also confirmed that Ibrahima Konaté is fully fit despite picking up a knock during last weekend's draw with Chelsea.

Slot was guarded on the availability of Alisson and Florian Wirtz—the former having returned to training after a two-month absence and the latter dealing with a stomach bug. Both could feature at Villa Park.

Conor Bradley, Wataru Endo, Giovanni Leoni and Hugo Ekitiké are all still sidelined long-term, but Alexander Isak is expected to reclaim his starting spot following a minor injury.

Liverpool predicted lineup vs. Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Mamardashvili; Jones, Konaté, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Frimpong, Szoboszlai, Ngumoha; Isak.

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