Aston Villa vs Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp takes his trophy chasing Liverpool to the Midlands hotbed of football on Saturday, where Premier League new boys Aston Villa will be waiting.
After a couple of seasons in the second tier, the hosts are convinced they are back where they belong, and they will battle to the last to ensure they stay there.
Meanwhile, Liverpool arrives with 28 points already on the board and lead the league by six.
The Reds want to keep Manchester City at arm’s length for as long as possible, and that’s what makes Aston Villa vs Liverpool one of the games in the Premier League this weekend.
The Premier League 2019 betting odds here at SBOBET predict another win for Klopp’s side at 1.35. But Dean Smith’s Villa are on a good run of form and backed by a passionate crowd at Villa Park they are sure to put up a fight.
Talking Points
All good for Reds ten games in
A wise man once told me you shouldn’t take too much notice of the league table until 10 games have been played. And the table makes great reading for the red half of Liverpool.
While their neighbours at Everton hover two points above the drop zone, the Reds are flying high after nine wins and one draw.
That won’t stop their fans from worrying, though. Two games ago, they had an eight-point cushion, and at one point during last season’s epic duel with City, the Reds had a 10-point lead.
After drawing with Manchester United, Klopp’s Reds showed their title credentials again last week, coming from a goal behind to beat Spurs, 2-1.
They are also through to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup, as well as thriving again in the Champions League. There could be some fixture congestion on the way as the Reds are due to play in the Club World Cup in Qatar in December.
Klopp desperately needs his key players to stay fit. Mo Salah and Sadio Mane have both reached five goals and Virgil Van Dijk has been imperious at the back, but one of their most influential players so far has been midfield man Georginio Wijnaldum; he weighed in with a crucial winner against Sheffield United.
Villa over tricky start
Equally, Aston Villa can be happy enough with their early Premier League 2019 results. They sit just below mid-table on 11 points having taken six from the last three games.
Few Villa fans expected their side to get anything away to Manchester City last week, and so it proved, with Pep Guardiola’s champions coasting to a 3-0 win. But that followed back-to-back victories which lifted Smith’s men away from the drop zone, having taken just five points from the opening seven games.
Full-back Matt Targett scored his first Premier League goal to give Villa a 94th-minute win over Brighton the previous week, coming back from behind to secure a vital three points.
And Smith’s side is not short of goal scorers. Wesley has four and the excellent John McGinn has three, while skipper and Villa fan Jack Grealish is relishing his opportunity to play for his team in the top flight.
At the other end of the pitch, the hosts’ last line of defence is one of the best keepers in the business, England international Tom Heaton has become a key man since his summer switch from Burnley.
Carabao meeting on the way
A late Divock Origi goal took Liverpool into a penalty shoot-out with Arsenal in the Carabao Cup this week, and they won it 5-4 as young Curtis Jones hammered home the decider.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa overcame an inexperienced Wolves team, 2-1. Smith had made nine changes of his own and goals from Anwar El Ghazi and Ahmed Elmohamady teed up a quarter-final clash with Liverpool. It’s one of two all-Premier League ties, with Everton and Leicester City also drawn together.
History
These two teams have met 48 times in the Premier League era and the head-to-head Premier League results show the Villains have had a decent share of success, winning 11, drawing ten and losing 27.
The last meeting at Villa Park ended in a 6-0 thumping for the hosts as they crashed out of the top flight. Of Liverpool’s current crop of superstars, James Milner and Divock Origi were both on target.
But remember, Villa’s recent form is impressive enough, before losing to Manchester City they recorded victories over Brighton and Norwich City and then progressed to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup with that midweek win.
They are unbeaten in five at home but will come under serious pressure to hang on to that record this weekend.
Betting Tip
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Aston Villa vs Liverpool | Liverpool First Half Asian Handicap -0.50 @ 1.86 |
| November 2, 23:00 (GMT+8) |
With Liverpool heavily odds on, the Villains are at 7.80 to win with the draw at 4.90.
I expect the Reds will have too much for their hosts and for an alternative bet, 0-2 at 7.20 is the most likely outcome, while 2-3 goals is available at 2.13.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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