Aston Villa are scheduled to welcome Liverpool to Villa Park for the third round of the FA Cup on Friday night if the tie goes ahead after today’s Covid-19 announcement.
The Villans managed to escape relegation in the final matchday of the previous league season, but they have been pretty impressive this term, and a few smart transfer decisions could push them to the European positions.
The West Midlands outfit are presently eighth in the Premier League table with 26 points, seven adrift of leaders Liverpool with two matches in hand.
They will be facing the Reds for the second time this season in the FA Cup and it will be an intriguing watch after their stunning performance in September 2020.
Back then, Dean Smith’s side thumped the English champions by a 7-2 scoreline in the Premier League. It was the heaviest defeat for the Reds in 57 years.
The Merseyside giants have recently gone through a rough phase with a three-match winless streak and that includes a 1-0 defeat at Southampton on Monday.
The earlier season result plus Liverpool’s recent form has the bookmakers giving great odds on another Villa win, and you could use this quinnbet coupon code to bet on this game or any other FA Cup ties this weekend.
KEY STATS
Villa have beaten the Reds in each of the previous two meetings at Villa Park where they have scored a combined tally of 12 goals. That includes a 5-0 defeat in the League Cup quarter-final last term. The Reds played their development side as their senior squad was on Club World Cup duty.
The clubs have faced each other on eight occasions in the FA Cup and the Reds have been the dominant side with six wins compared to Villa’s two.
The most recent FA Cup meeting was in April 2015. The Villans came from behind to register a 2-1 triumph at the Wembley Stadium.
Team News
Aston Villa:
Following today’s news that there has been an outbreak of Covid-19 and that Bodymoor Heath will be closed, it is unclear as to what kind of team Aston Villa will be able to field against the Champions.
Wesley is still recovering after sustaining a serious knee injury earlier this year. He is likely to resume full-contact training later this month. Trezeguet is also sidelined with a hamstring injury. Ross Barkley has recovered from a hamstring problem of his own, but Dean Smith has said that the Reds game may come too soon for him.
Liverpool:
The Merseyside giants have a lengthy injury list to contend with. Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Diogo Jota and Konstantinos Tsimikas (all knee) are out for the long-term.
Naby Keita (muscle) and Joel Matip (adductor) are also ruled out for tomorrow’s clash. The club are hopeful that Matip will return to face Manchester United on January 17.
Predicted Score
Before today’s news, both sides were likely to ring in the changes for this game after a very busy festive schedule.
Both sides could field inexperienced teams with Klopp likely wanting to protect his regulars. Aston Villa are yet to release any details regarding who will be available but have said that all first-team players are now isolating.
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