Liverpool vs. Aston Villa Expert Pick – May 20, 2023

LIVERPOOL VS. ASTON VILLA EXPERT PICK – MAY 20, 2023 – Tune in this Saturday as Liverpool close out their home campaign against Aston Villa in their final match of the season at Anfield.

Liverpool have been a force at Anfield and have only lost 1 home match this season (13W-4D-1L). In fact, they have only lost their final home match of the season 1 time in the previous 11 seasons.

Aston Villa have completely turned things around under new manager Unai Emery but have slacked off in form recently and have not looked their best despite a home victory against Tottenham.

It will surely be an exciting yet emotional day at Anfield, as both teams are fighting for European qualification and the home side bids farewell to Roberto Firmino, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Naby Keita. 

LIVERPOOL

Liverpool looked like long shots to secure Champions League football for much of this season but 7 wins in a row has seen them close the gap between them and Newcastle and Manchester United, who currently occupy 3rd and 4th.

Liverpool will most likely need wins in both of their remaining fixtures to land a top 4 spot and it won’t be easy as they face an Aston Villa side that is on the hunt for European qualification themselves. 

In their previous match, Liverpool dominated Leicester City in a 3-0 away win. In that match Liverpool managed 67% possession and had 16 shots at goal. Liverpool have scored in 8 consecutive league matches and with players like Curtis Jones and Trent Alexander-Arnold firing on all cylinders, they’ll like their chances in this one as well.

Will the win streak continue? Will Roberto Firmino end his amazing Liverpool career with a win at Anfield?

ASTON VILLA

Aston Villa has certainly been transformed since the arrival of Unai Emery and they have fought their way back to the top half of the table.

They are most likely in the same boat as Liverpool and will need to win both of their remaining fixtures to have a shot at Europa League. They will look to build on a 2-1 win over Tottenham but will face a tough test at Anfield as they have been struggling away from home as of late, finding themselves on a 3 game winless streak in away games.

In their last match, Aston Villa defeated Tottenham 2-1 where they managed 49% possession. A run of effective performances defensively has gotten them where they are, having only allowed 1 goal or fewer in their previous 13 Premier League games. However, with Ollie Watkins not contributing to goals recently they have seen a decline in their attack.

Aston Villa’s away form this season has not been the greatest and they have only managed to score 35% of their goals this season in away matches. Will they have what it takes to put one in the back of the net against Liverpool at Anfield and will it be enough to snag some points?

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PREMIER LEAGUE STANDINGS

MATCH PREVIEW

Date: Saturday, 05/20/2023 at 10:00 AM EST

Pitch: Liverpool – Anfield, Liverpool, England

Current PL Form: | Liverpool (WWWWW) | Aston Villa (DWLLW) |

Last PL Match: | Leicester City 0 – 3 Liverpool | | Aston Villa 2 – 1 Tottenham |

Head to Head

Draft Kings Moneyline Odds: | HOME: -215 | TIE: +390 | AWAY: +475 |

PROP BETS

| Liverpool Double Chance & Both Teams to Score Yes (-110) |

Liverpool are on an incredible run and are undefeated in their previous 9 Premier League games. On the other hand Aston Villa are undefeated in 11 of their last 13.

With both teams fighting for European qualification this game should be end to end with plenty of attacking chances. Liverpool have scored in 8 consecutive games and have only been shut out at Anfield 1 time this season.

Aston Villa have scored in 21 of their past 23 games and will pose a huge counter attacking threat to Liverpool who have proven to be extremely vulnerable to counter attacks all season long.

| Mo Salah to Score Anytime (-110) | 

Mo Salah continues to be the leading goalscorer for Liverpool and with 19 goals this season he sits in 4th place in the Premier League goal scoring leaderboard.

He has scored in 6 of his last 8 Premier League appearances and although he did not score in the 3-0 win against Leicester City, he got all 3 assists. Aston Villa have also conceded 6 PK’s this season (5th in the league) which could create another opportunity for Liverpool’s spot taker. So when Liverpool score, Mo Salah is usually involved.

Sublime 🤩

Watch every angle of @TrentAA's sensational free-kick routine during #LEILIV…

Presented by @Sonos 🔊 pic.twitter.com/1SCcCA7cvz

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 16, 2023

Video By: Twitter (@LFC)

TIPS

• Liverpool will be without Calvin Ramsay, Stefan Bajcetic, and Thiago Alcantara for the game against Aston Villa.
• Aston Villa will be without Jed Steer, Matty Cash, and Philippe Coutinho for the game against Liverpool..
• Liverpool have won 7 Premier League matches in a row and have won their previous 5 matches against Aston Villa in all competitions.
• Liverpool have only lost 1 game at Anfield this season and have won 11 consecutive Premier League home games.
• Aston Villa are undefeated in 11 of their last 13 Premier League games.

THE WORD

Liverpool’s struggles this season have primarily come from their poor form on the road but they have been very solid at Anfield, losing just 1 game in 18 home matches played this season.

To go along with this, Aston Villa have had poor away form of late and have suffered back-to-back away defeats to Manchester United and Wolverhampton. However, Aston Villa have been pretty consistent all season long and still have plenty to play for this season.

While Liverpool have been very impressive over the past few weeks, they haven’t been without their defensive issues this season and could be vulnerable to an Aston Villa counter attack.

Aston Villa have scored in 23 of their last 25 league games and I expect them to get on the scoresheet in this one. Liverpool haven’t been overly convincing in every game of their winning streak but they are still riding the top of a wave. I’m predicting Aston Villa to put up a good fight but in my opinion Anfield will be the key factor in this one.

PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL 2 – 1 ASTON VILLA