PreviewThe opposition lowdown: Aston Villa

Recent form

The Villans head to L4 having won 12 of their 20 outings in the top flight since the reverse meeting with the Reds in December.

They are currently in eighth place on 57 points with two games remaining.

Last time out, Emery’s charges defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at home, with goals from Jacob Ramsey and Douglas Luiz securing three points despite a late penalty converted by Harry Kane.

That victory came in response to preceding defeats against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United, both on the road and by a 1-0 scoreline.

Ollie Watkins has been Villa’s most prolific player in the Premier League so far this season, amassing 14 goals. Emiliano Buendia, Ramsey and Luiz have each netted five.

A look at the assists chart shows a similar story, with Watkins leading the way on six, while Ramsey and Luiz have provided the key final pass on five occasions apiece.

At the other end, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has registered 11 top-flight clean sheets this term.

Ashley Preece, Aston Villa reporter at Birmingham Live tells us: “[Alex] Moreno, Villa’s left-back, bombs forward and Liverpool will have to be aware of his and Ramsey’s threat down that side – both are powerful and quick runners, with Villa’s attacking play predominantly played down the left.

“As for John McGinn, he’s getting Man of the Match near-enough every week for his high-octane, all-action performances. Liverpool’s midfield are in for a tough afternoon up against the in-form McGinn.

“Watkins, though, loves playing against the Reds (scored five in five) and he’ll look to end his five-game goal drought up at Anfield.”

Last meeting

Liverpool departed Villa Park with three points after a 3-1 victory when the sides met on Boxing Day.

Goals from Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk during the first half put the visitors in command, but Watkins halved the hosts’ deficit just before the hour mark.

Stefan Bajcetic coolly slotted in nine minutes from full-time, however, to restore the Reds’ cushion and seal the win.

Style of play

Preece notes: “Emery’s style is very distinctive – building up from the back, patient play, possession-based, playing through the thirds. They’ll attack with Moreno and Ramsey down their left side, while they’ll also look for the likes of Emi Buendia in the Liverpool pocket between defence and midfield.”

And on how Villa, for whom former Red Philippe Coutinho is out due to injury, could set up at Anfield: “As for preferred formation, it’s hard to say. It’s kind of a 4-4-2, but on the attack Villa will be in 3-4-2-1. If Liverpool pile it on, don’t be surprised to see Villa bank up with a six-man backline to soak up the pressure.

“Away from home Villa can be in a 6-2-2 if they’re up against it. But they’ll look to dominate the ball to make sure they’re not always pinned in. Villa have become the masters of soaking up pressure. They do, however, play a high line so that’d be something Klopp will look to exploit no doubt with Salah, Diaz and co.”

Stats

• Since the weekend of Emery’s first Premier League game in charge of Villa, only Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool have won more points than the Villans (45).
• Villa have scored 12 goals in the opening 15 minutes of Premier League games this season, accounting for 25 per cent of their total. All but one of these goals have come at Villa Park.
• Liverpool have won their final home game in each of the last six Premier League campaigns, and have won nine, drawn one and lost just one of the last 11.

What they said

Unai Emery

“When you have the ball, they are going to press you strongly for 90 minutes. When they have the ball, it’s very difficult to recover the ball and press them. They have very good players, they have a very good structure and they have strong players in each position. They have very high-level players and a good bench to use in the second half, and they also have a very good coach in Klopp.

“The crowd there are supporting them a lot; that is what we are going to face. I want to play against them, preparing the match and taking our moments. We want to be successful more than them in 90 minutes – that is the difficulty we are going to face. We need to be clinical.”