Liverpool will look to register back-to-back Premier League wins when they travel to Villa Park to face Aston Villa on Wednesday evening.
The Reds were held to a 2-2 draw by Everton at Goodison Park following a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser by James Tarkowski. It was a soft blow to their title charge but they regrouped and bounced back with a 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield on Sunday, thereby, restoring their seven-point lead at the summit.
It was not a convincing performance against Wolves but Arne Slot would have been relieved by getting the job done. However, he will expect an improved display from his boys at Aston Villa, who head into this fixture off the back of a 1-1 draw against 10-man Ipswich Town.
Liverpool Team News
Cody Gakpo missed the win over Wolves with a knock sustained in the 2-2 draw with Everton, and the Dutch forward is reportedly set to miss out on the midweek trip to Aston Villa.
Liverpool will also be without Joe Gomez (hamstring) and Tyler Morton (shoulder) for both games this week, but Curtis Jones is back in contention after suspension had ruled him out against Wolves.
Predicted Liverpool lineup vs Aston Villa (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Alisson Becker has not missed a beat for Liverpool since returning from injury in December. Arguably the most competent goalkeeper in the Premier League, the Brazilian will be relied upon heavily to deal with big moments in the game at Villa Park.
Defence
Ibrahima Konate was subbed off against Wolves to avoid a potential red card but the Frenchman is certain to partner Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence again in the Liverpool lineup.
The Liverpool centre-backs have to be at their best to keep Villa’s exciting and dangerous forwards quiet.
Trent Alexander-Arnold started the game on Sunday and completed 64 minutes before being replaced by Conor Bradley.
Despite having just returned from a minor injury, Slot will stick with Alexander-Arnold at right-back in the Liverpool lineup. However, he could make an alteration at left-back with Kostas Tsimikas replacing Andy Robertson.
Midfield
The midfield axis is expected to be the same for the Reds. Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister are set to reprise their roles, hoping to dictate the pace of the game and disrupt Villa’s flow. Dominik Szoboszlai’s job will be to pull the strings from the No.10 role in the Liverpool lineup.
Available for selection after serving a one-game ban, Curtis Jones should get minutes off the bench to make an impact along with Harvey Elliot.
Attack
With Gakpo set to sit out again with an ankle problem, Slot could turn to Darwin Nunez to lead the Liverpool attack as Diogo Jota may still not be ready to start back-to-back games in such a short span of time.
Mohamed Salah took his league tally to 23 goals on Sunday by converting a penalty against Wolves. The Egyptian is a sure-fix starter on the right flank in the Liverpool lineup, with Luis Diaz, who opened the scoring in the 2-1 success over Wolves, operating from his preferred left-wing position.
