Liverpool vs Aston Villa prediction: Salah and Diaz to punish tired Villans | OneFootball

Life is good if you’re a Liverpool fan. Sat atop the Premier League with new manager Arne Slot quickly building on the era-defining success of Jurgen Klopp, the Reds’ season is shaping up for special things.

Slot’s side have emerged unbeaten from a run that included Chelsea, RB Leipzig, Arsenal, Brighton twice and Bayer Leverkusen across the last three weeks. Aston Villa’s Premier League visit to Anfield on Saturday night (8pm, TNT Sports 1) is the next test for a side that is proving adaptable and resilient against top class opposition.

Liverpool will drop to second if Manchester City beat Brighton earlier in the day, but can jump right back up with a win.

Villa are winless in four matches across all competitions and perhaps feeling the strain of a maiden Champions League campaign while trying to assert the energetic style of play that got them there last season.

Beating Liverpool in their own backyard would be just the boost Unai Emery’s team need to get back on track ahead of what is shaping up to be a difficult fight for top-four places in the Premier League.

Villa are sizeable 11/2 outsiders on some Premier League betting sites to claim a first win in nine attempts against the Reds, who are no bigger than 4/9 on the majority of betting apps.

Salah has a tremendous quality of conserving his influence until the right moment. At times this season he’s appeared on the periphery of games, quietly biding his time on the right wing while the more rambunctious Luis Diaz blasts about on the opposite side.

That isn’t a bad thing for Slot, whose emphasis on control allows Salah to be more measured in his game.

It’s paying dividends. Salah has eight goals and nine assists across the Premier League and Champions League’s opening weeks. His passing has been phenomenal and he’ll relish the opportunity to face full-back Lucas Digne, who is prone to being caught out of position when Villa push too many players high up the pitch.

Football betting sites agree Salah has a decent chance of providing an assist; a bet that is made more inviting if punters are willing to back Liverpool dismantling Villa by two or more goals. The midweek destruction of Bayer Leverkusen is a great snapshot of the relentless pressure which is forcing quality sides to buckle. Once Slot’s men breached the German champions, it was open season.

Villa proved susceptible to this kind of play against Tottenham last week, conceding four second-half goals to throw away the lead. Anfield is more imposing and Liverpool are a better side than Spurs, so it could be another night of pain for the visitors, whose schedule doesn’t get much easier in the next few weeks with Juventus and Chelsea to come.

Slot really showed his man-management skills with Luis Diaz against Leverkusen. The Colombian started the season in terrific form, scoring five in five games from the wing. However, he was reduced to just one assist in the Premier League during October and appeared blunt in front of goal.

The manager surprisingly started Diaz as the main striker on Tuesday night. His movement and agility ripped through the German champions. Diaz’s hat-trick perfectly showcased his excellent finishing and breathed momentum back into a player who looked just so slightly off compared to his early season form.

To be able to get that tune from an individual is testament of how deeply Slot already knows his squad and how he can trust them to respond.

There’s a reasonable chance Diaz starts through the middle again when Villa visit. Whether he does or not, betting sites have placed an interesting price on the electric 27-year-old entering another hot streak.

Diaz has scored a brace or more on three occasions this season and will relish the prospect of taking on a Villa defence that couldn’t handle the sheer numbers and attacking ambition of Spurs last week.

There’s no doubt Saturday’s clash between Liverpool and Aston Villa is the game of the day in the Premier League and punters looking to bet on the match can earn £30 in free bets by wagering on the game with Betano.

The latest Betano sign up offer is only available to new customers who open an account, deposit a minimum of £10 and then wager £10 or more on Liverpool vs Aston Villa. Any bets on the game must be placed before kick-off and on a selection with odds of evens (2.0) or greater.

In return, Betano will give customers £30 in free bets, broken down into a £10 free in-play bet on Liverpool vs Villa, a £10 football bet and a £10 acca bet.

Remember to gamble responsibly

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