Liverpool v Aston Villa Match Preview
Liverpool Host Villa at Anfied on Monday 24th August
It has been a challenging start to this season's Premier League campaign for Rafa Benitez with a tricky opening day fixture at White Hart Lane and an opening home match against a side they failed to register against last season. This time out the Reds overcame Stoke with a resounding 4-0 victory, but a stuttering display in North London at the weekend ended in defeat against a rejuvenated Tottenham Hotspur side under Harry Redknapp.
Aston Villa Off to Poor Start
Like Spurs, Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa are another team with quality that have the potential to warrant a top six finish and will provide strong opposition for the Reds when they visit Anfield. Having had a poor run in to last season, Villa have also started the new campaign on the wrong foot. In their opening game they were humbled by Wigan Athletic in a shock 2-0 defeat at home and were on the wrong end of a 1-0 score line against Rapid Vienna in midweek. When they line-up against Liverpool on Monday night, O'Neill's young guns will have a point to prove and will be determined not to concede defeat.
The Reds have a good record against Claret and Blues and have not lost to the Midlands side since September 2001. The corresponding fixture last season ended with a 5-0 victory to Liverpool and a dismissal for former Anfield keeper Brad Friedel. If Liverpool are to challenge Manchester United and Chelsea for the title, it is games like this they have to win.
Benitez is likely to line-up with the same starting XI that swept past Stoke City last week, though new signing Sotirios Kyrgiakos may replace the fledging Daniel Ayala to partner Jamie Carragher in the centre of defence. The young Spaniard has played well since replacing Martin Skertl who is nursing a fractured jaw, but Benitez is anxious to add experience to his rearguard and may opt for the Greece international to face the powerful John Carew and the pace of Gabriel Agbonlahor.
Pace of Villa Young Guns a Threat
Having erred on the side of caution in Vienna with a 4-5-1 formation, O'Neill is likely to revert to his more familiar 4-4-2 formation for the Premier League encounter. Despite being low on confidence, the Northern Ireland mastermind will remind his side of their excellent away form last season in an attempt to boost a sense of belief into his jaded young side. Villa's best hope of getting anything from this game is the pace of Ashley Young down the left flank and Agbonlahor through the middle. If Kyrgiakos is chosen alongside Carragher, Liverpool's centre pairing lacks pace.
Liverpool will also be anxious to turn in another good attacking performance. Despite finishing as the league's top scorers last season, they struggled at times to creative enough goal scoring opportunities. Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres are always a threat, but if the ball is not given to the front pairing earlier enough they will be shut out by a tight Villa rearguard. The only other attacking options of real quality in the Liverpool line-up is Yossi Benayoun and, as he has already shown in both league games this season, Glen Johnson.
The fraught tensions between Benitez and O'Neill over the Gareth Barry saga last summer could well mean we are in for a fiery encounter in what is expected to be a fast-paced game. Whether we will see any goals may depend on Liverpool's attacking display and how well, Young, Agbonlahor and the silky skills of James Milner apply themselves on the night.
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