Gerrard’s emotional return to Liverpool

Saturday afternoon’s Premier League match between Liverpool and Aston Villa takes centre stage in Matchday 16 for a very specific reason. That reason goes by the name of Stevie Gerrard and he is an absolute Reds legend who has been in charge of the sporting side for the visitors from Birmingham for a few weeks now.

710 competitive games the former captain and England international could play for his youth club between 1998 and 2015. Gerrard returns to Anfield as coach for the first time this weekend. However, the omens are not really good, as judging by the Liverpool vs. Aston Villa odds on the three-way market, a home win for the top team from Merseyside seems to be a mere formality.

The clear underdog role, however, is far from the only factor the Villans have to fight against. Of a total of 16 games in which former LFC players have returned to their old stomping grounds as coaches of other teams, the Reds have won 14 (!). For a prediction on a home win between Liverpool and Aston Villa to pay off on Saturday as well, Mo Salah and Co. really only need to build on the performances of recent weeks.

Liverpool – Statistics & current form

Since the end of the last international break, Liverpool Football Club have put the indicator on the left and have been on the fast track ever since. Six competitive matches have been played since mid-November; all six matches have been won by coach Jürgen Klopp’s team. Only two of the six victories mentioned above came by “only” one goal difference. The other victories were clearer. The Reds scored four goals three times.

The impressive series has meanwhile led to the 2020 champions jumping to second place in the standings. They are just one point behind leaders Manchester City. And now they face a favourite opponent of sorts, against whom the Reds have won six of their past seven league games and also prevailed in three successive home duels at Anfield.

Is another strong first half enough for the treble?

In addition to the sensational form, which was further evidenced during the week with an improved B eleven’s 2-1 away win at AC Milan to close out the Champions League group, the home strength also speaks a clear language in favour of Klopp’s eleven. In seven home games in 2021/22, there have been four wins, three draws and no defeats. The 18 goals scored are the best in the Premier League. Most recently, there were clear 4-0 triumphs against Arsenal and Southampton respectively.

To make the swing towards suitable bets, another interesting statistic is worth mentioning. In fact, LFC led at half-time in nine of the ten victories this season. Only in the last-minute win at Wolverhampton the previous week was the score still tied at the break. Little wonder, then, that between Liverpool and Aston Villa our betting tips are again on a half-time lead including a Reds victory.

Naby Keita and Joe Gomez were already back on the bench against Milan on Wednesday and are therefore no longer part of the medical team. Only Jones, Firmino and Elliott are still out. Compared to the Champions League match mentioned above, in which the German coach fired up the rotation machine, Henderson, van Dijk, Thiago or Fabinho are likely to return to the starting eleven. Also included is superstar Mo Salah, who has now been involved in at least one goal in 13 consecutive league games.

Predicted Liverpool line-up:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Jota, Mane

Last matches played by Liverpool:

Champions League Grp. B
12/07 2021 – AC Milan 1 – 2 Liverpool FC

Premier League
12/04 2021 – Wolverhampton 0 – 1 Liverpool FC

12/01 2021 – Everton 1 – 4 Liverpool FC

11/27 2021 – Liverpool FC 4 – 0 Southampton

Champions League Grp. B
11/24 2021 – FC Liverpool 2 – 0 FC Porto

Aston Villa – Statistics & current form

Many Liverpool supporters already see Steven Gerrard as the designated successor to Jürgen Klopp. However, it could still be a few years before the ex-Dortmund man has had his day at the Reds. Years in which the former LFC legend would like to gain his first experience as a coach in the Premier League. Gerrard, who moved to Birmingham from Glasgow, has had an almost perfect start.

The Villans picked up nine points from their first four games under the former international’s guidance. Brighton, Crystal Palace and most recently Leicester City were brought to their knees. Only against the reigning champions Manchester City did they suffer a narrow 1:2 home defeat, in which the underdogs were already 2:0 behind after 45 minutes.

Interestingly, Villa have lost the first half in seven of their eight defeats this season. Between Liverpool and Aston Villa, the prediction of a start-finish victory for the favourites is therefore under a particularly good star.

Will the Villa defence fall back into old patterns?
In addition, the defence is a real headache for the home side. Although the trend here has been upwards recently, the total of 24 goals conceded is (too) high and is only surpassed by five other clubs in the league. On the other hand, the Villans have only failed to score in two games this season, so it might be a good idea to take a look at the odds for both sides to score or over-goal before the match between Liverpool and Aston Villa.

Leon Bailey, Bertrand Traore and Trezeguet are out injured. However, after the recent performances, not many changes are to be expected. Whoever beats Leicester 2-1 at home deserves to start again against the Reds.

Predicted Aston Villa line-up:
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Young; McGinn, Nakamba, Luiz; Ramsey, Buendia; Watkins

Last matches played by Aston Villa:

Premier League
12/05 2021 – Aston Villa 2 – 1 Leicester

12/01 2021 – Aston Villa 1 – 2 Manchester City

11/27 2021 – Crystal Palace 1 – 2 Aston Villa

11/20 2021 – Aston Villa 2 – 0 Brighton

11/05 2021 – Southampton 1 – 0 Aston Villa

Liverpool – Aston Villa Direct Comparison / H2H Balance

This is the 185th time that these two traditional clubs have faced each other in England’s top division. The direct comparison is clearly in favour of the Reds, who have won 98 of these matches. In a review of the past seven league encounters, LFC have also come out on top six times. Liverpool have scored at least twice in all seven matches, which again suggests that the Liverpool vs. Aston Villa prediction for a commanding home win is proving to be correct.

Liverpool vs Aston Villa prediction

Liverpool are in a very strong form at the moment. The 2020 champions have won all of their last six competitive games. Only in one of these victories did they score less than two goals. The Premier League’s best attack is running at full speed, although a narrow 1-0 win at Wolverhampton the previous week ended a run of 17 league games in a row with at least two goals of their own.

For the Reds’ upcoming home match against the Villans, who arrive with LFC legend Steven Gerrard as their new coach, the next clear success beckons. This is backed up by the fact that Villa have one of the weakest defences in the league, conceding 24 goals, and by the direct comparison, which has shown the favourites to be winners in six of the last seven direct Premier League duels.

The most promising odds between Liverpool and Aston Villa are on the HT1/FT1 double. Nine of the ten LFC wins this season would have been crowned with success. In addition, the visitors from Birmingham have lost the first half in almost every defeat this season.