Aston Villa vs Liverpool Predictions

• Villa have the Europa League final to come next week
• Liverpool have six defeats in their last eight away games
• Liverpool are unbeaten in 11 head-to-head meetings across all comps, winning eight

Champions League chance for Villa and Liverpool

Aston Villa entertain Liverpool in the Premier League on Friday and a victory for either side would guarantee a place in next season’s Champions League with a game to spare, although the hosts have other priorities.

The Villans face Germany’s Freiburg in the final of the Europa League just five days after this league game. That clash offers an alternative route into Europe’s top competition and a chance to end a 30-year wait for silverware.

If Villa didn’t have that final in Istanbul on the horizon I’d fancy them to end a winless streak stretching back to 2020 against a Liverpool side who have six defeats in their last eight road games. However, boss Unai Emery may well decide to rest a few key men or limit their minutes on Friday, and the players who are involved may hold something back themselves rather than risk injury ahead of their biggest game of the season.

For Liverpool, this is a chance to lock in Champions League football and they probably will find a way to get a win over the line but their road record makes their relatively short price unappealing – so the best angle for our main bet could be to focus on the goals markets instead.

Over 2.5 goals the standout bet

Villa may field a rotated side but they should still be able to contribute to the goals total. Emery’s men have scored in 10 consecutive home games across all competitions and score on average around 1.6 goals per-game at home in the league, while the Reds have gone eight games without a shut-out on their travels.

There have been at least three goals scored in total in six of Villa’s last nine games and in three of Liverpool’s last four, so even at a short price backing over 2.5 goals looks a strong option in Friday’s Premier League fixture.

Liverpool can claim the spoils

Liverpool’s away form has been poor but they can take advantage of a distracted Villa side and pick up a 2-1 win to book their place in next season’s Champions League.
The visitors have won three of their last five league games and have scored at least twice in four of those fixtures, and they are effectively the team in greater need here with no other route to a place in Europe’s top competition.

Dominik Szoboszlai appeals as a bit of an outside contender for an anytime effort. Liverpool’s Hungarian midfielder has one goal and two assists in his last four games and had three shots (one on target) without scoring against Chelsea last time out, so he should get a few chances at Villa.

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