Aston Villa predicted XI: Unai Emery’s side out for vengeance vs Liverpool with UCL spot on the line | OneFootball

Aston Villa are set to welcome Liverpool to Birmingham for Friday night’s must-win top-five six-pointer, with a place in the Champions League up for grabs.

It’s safe to say that Villa have prioritised their European ambitions over Premier League standings, and it has paid off even if their position on the table is hardly rock solid.

Nevertheless, Villa have a chance to seal their spot in next season’s Champions League, but they’ll need to get past a Liverpool side they’ve already lost to this season.

Villa have collected only one point from their last three Premier League matches, with a dramatic 2-2 draw against Burnley coming after defeats to Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur.

Despite that recent dip, there is still plenty of optimism around Villa Park.

Unai Emery’s side recently punched their ticket to the Europa League final after obliterating Nottingham Forest 4-1 on aggregate in the all-Premier League semi-finals.

There was a general feeling that whoever came out of that clash on top could go on to win the title, increasing Villa’s hopes of ending their three-decade-long wait for silverware.

Winning the Europa League will also guarantee Villa a Champions League spot, but rather than leave their fate to chance, they’ll be keen to get the job done later tonight.

Villa sit fifth in the Premier League table and remain four points clear of sixth-placed Bournemouth.

Only goal difference separates them from tonight’s visitors, meaning qualification through their league position is still firmly within reach and could even be confirmed during this round of fixtures.

How Aston Villa could line up

With the Europa League final firmly at the back of his mind, there’s a decent chance that Emery could decide to shuffle the deck tonight.

That paves the way for a couple of changes, although it could still look similar to the side that drew against Burnley last time out.

Emiliano Martinez should start in goal, while Lucas Digne comes in for Ian Maatsen after starting the Burnley clash on the bench.

The £25 million star could join Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa, and Matty Cash in defence.

Victor Lindelof has reinvented himself as a midfielder and could partner Youri Tielemans in the middle of the park, while John McGinn, Morgan Rogers, and Emiliano Buendia support Ollie Watkins in attack.