Liverpool welcome Aston Villa to Anfield on Sunday, with both teams keen to continue their bright start to the 2023/24 Premier League season.
The Reds go into the fourth game of the campaign having won two, drawn one, and ticked off tough away trips to Newcastle United and Chelsea in the process. With a goal down and a man down, they produced a memorable comeback to beat Newcastle 2-1 at St James’ Park last weekend.
Aston Villa, on the other hand, have responded extremely well from their opening weekend trouncing at the hands of Newcastle, beating Everton and Burnley respectively. Unai Emery’s men were at their clinical best against Burnley at Turf Moor, winning 3-1.
On that note, here are the key battles that could define the outcome of this fixture.
#Darwin Nunez vs Aston Villa centre-backs
Darwin Nunez’s match-winning display against Newcastle showed a clinical edge he lacked at times last season, with his performance boosting his hopes of a start against Aston Villa. With Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah nailed-on starters out wide, Nunez is expected to start in the No.9 role.
The Uruguayan striker has been sharp in the final third in the opening weeks of the season, and the brace against Newcastle should have done a world of good for his confidence. Monitoring his movements in the final third is a tough task as he is always on the move, and the Aston Villa centre-backs will have to be defensively alert if they intend to keep Nunez at bay.
Unai Emery used a three-man backline of Ezri Konsa, Diego Carlos and Pau Torres in Villa’s 3-1 win over Burnley. It remains to be seen whether he reverts to a flat back four against Liverpool, and if he does, chances of Konsa pairing up with Torres will be high.
#Mohamed Salah vs Lucas Digne
Mohamed Salah has been excellent in the opening weeks of the season. He has a goal and two assists already in three league games, with the Egyptian providing the vital assist for Nunez’s winner against Newcastle on Sunday.
Salah is among the world’s best players and keeping him under control will be a huge task given his ability and confidence at the moment. Lucas Digne, who operated as a left wing-back against Burnley, could be back to his usual left-back role against the Reds. The Frenchman will need to be defensively alert and robust to stop Salah from penetrating Villa’s defence.
#Ollie Watkins vs Joel Matip
Ollie Watkins has been Aston Villa’s chief source of goals over the last two seasons. When the England international is not scoring goals, he displays the creative edge of his game as witnessed this season with two assists in three games.
Despite failing to yet break his duck for the new season, Watkins has been a key performer up top in Villa’s attack. At Anfield, he will be up against the centre-back pairing of Joel Matip and Joe Gomez. With Virgil van Dijk suspended following his sending off against Newcastle, Matip must take the responsibility of leading Liverpool’s defence against Emery’s men.
The Cameroonian centre-back dealing with Watkins promises to be a key battle as the Villa marksman can cause a lot of damage to the hosts.