Liverpool v Aston Villa predictions: Villa can deny champions a prized home win

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Liverpool v Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Premier League & Main Event, 3pm Saturday

Best bet

Aston Villa or draw double chance
1pt 8-5 Hills

Team news

Liverpool
Jordan Henderson, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk and Divock Origi are unavailable.

Aston Villa
Jack Grealish is likely to miss out as he continues to recover from a shin injury. Kortney Hause and Wesley Moraes are also sidelined.

Match preview

After getting their Premier League campaign back on track on the road at Wolves and Arsenal, Liverpool return to Anfield for a tricky encounter with Aston Villa on Saturday.

The Reds had made their Merseyside base a fortress when enjoying a 68-game unbeaten streak in the league, but the wheels have well and truly come off since they lost to Burnley there in January.

They are experiencing a six-game losing streak at home for the first time since 1953-54 when they finished bottom of England's top flight.

Jurgen Klopp's men have rebuilt their confidence with back-to-back away league victories, climbing up to seventh and moving within three points of fourth-placed Chelsea.

They eased to a 3-0 win at Arsenal, but that was followed by a poor performance when they went down 3-1 at Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Liverpool's losing run at home has seen Burnley, Brighton, Manchester City, Everton, Chelsea and Fulham leave Anfield with maximum points.

Villa will attempt to become the latest club to get in and out with three points in their back pocket as they look to keep their European hopes alive.

Dean Smith is set to be without talisman Jack Grealish for the eighth game in succession and it's difficult to predict how they will perform in his absence.

They have collected only eight points from a possible 21 during Grealish's spell on the sidelines, but they impressed when coming from behind to beat Fulham on Sunday.

With a five-point deficit to sixth-placed Tottenham and one game in hand, building on that win over the Cottagers is vital.

The likelihood is that Villa will fall short of the European places but 2020-21 will still be regarded as a hugely successful campaign after they narrowly avoided relegation last term.

Villa sent shockwaves through the Premier League in October when claiming an emphatic 7-2 victory at home to Liverpool.

A repeat of that scoreline is extremely unlikely but Villa have shown enough on the road this season to suggest they can take something away from Anfield.

They have the eighth-best away record in the division, winning seven times, while they boast the second-best defensive record on the road with just 12 goals conceded.

Liverpool's struggles in front of goal, especially at home, has been one of the major mysteries given they have had their famous attacking trio available.

The defending champions are the second-lowest scorers in the top ten on home soil, notching just 22 times in 15 engagements.

The last two editions of this fixture have ended in victories by the Reds but Villa haven't been without success at Anfield and enjoyed a four-game unbeaten streak there between 2012 and 2014.

In Ollie Watkins, who has scored 11 during his maiden Premier League campaign, Villa can cause problems for Liverpool's flimsy backline.

Key stat

Liverpool have failed to score in five of their last six home Premier League outings.

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