PREVIEW: Liverpool strive to end winless run against in-form Aston Villa | OneFootball

Just several weeks ago, a match-up between the Reds and the Villans – at Anfield no less – would have had an entirely different context. Liverpool maintained a perfect record with five wins out of five at the start of the Premier League season, sitting comfortably in first place by mid-September. Aston Villa, on the other hand, were still winless in the league at that stage, picking up three draws and two defeats.

And suddenly, the tables turned. Arne Slot’s men went on to lose the next four consecutive league games and concede the top place to high-flying Arsenal. Conversely, Unai Emery’s side have been faultless since then, winning all four of their league games, including a 1-0 victory over Manchester City last time out.

As a result, the teams find themselves adjacent in seventh and eighth with an equal number of points, but in very different form. The reigning champions are in danger of suffering a fifth straight defeat, while the Lions are on the verge of securing a fifth consecutive win.

To make matters worse, Liverpool’s poor run of form transferred onto the EFL Cup, as the Reds ended up on the wrong end of a 3-0 scoreline against Crystal Palace, losing to the South London side for the third time in three months.

The Reds haven’t lost five straight top-flight fixtures in 72 years, and another demoralising result may put extra pressure on manager Slot.

Notably, Liverpool’s home form hasn’t been as bad, with only one Anfield defeat this season. In addition, Slot will be delighted by the return of Ryan Gravenberch, who is expected to feature after leaving the injury behind. Though, Liverpool will still miss Alexander Isak, Curtis Jones, Alisson Becker and Jeremie Frimpong, all of whom continue their respective recoveries.

Recent head-to-head stats will also give Liverpool fans some optimism, as their side has won 11 of the last 15 games between the two, including six of the last seven at Anfield.

Nevertheless, Villa is the in-form team and will go to Anfield after a six-day break. Emery’s side has won six of the last seven, the only stumble being a shock 2-1 defeat to Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League.

The West Midlands side have scored at least once in the last nine games and will go to Anfield searching for their first away win over Liverpool since 2014.

But they will have to do so without their loanee Harvey Elliott, who will be ineligible to play against his parent club. Emiliano Buendía will also miss the game following his recent foot injury, as will Youri Tielemans and Andres Garcia.

Villa are also chasing a unique achievement, as they hope to become the first team to beat Manchester City and Liverpool in consecutive matches since the sensational Leicester City back in February 2016.

The match will be broadcast live on TNT Sports in the UK, with a kick-off time of 20:00 [GMT].