Aston Villa v Liverpool Match Result
Liverpool have got a 57% chance of winning this game according to the latest Premier League betting odds. They have been odds-on for the majority of their matches this term, although they haven’t always looked assured away from home. Last week, the Merseyside derby saw the Reds fall a goal behind against Everton before taking a 2-1 lead, although there was a sting in the tail thanks to James Tarkowski’s late equaliser.
There have been a few other aberrations on the road this season and who can forget that 3-3 draw at Newcastle where Liverpool were outplayed for the first half of the match only to concede an equaliser at the death after once again coming from behind to take control of the game.
An away win is probably the most likely outcome on the Full-Time Result market, although some will fancy a wager on Aston Villa who will come into this match after what looks to be a relatively straightforward home clash against Ipswich. They recently put Tottenham to the sword in the FA Cup and should have scored more than the two goals in the end.
Morgan Rogers is sure to cause problems for the opposition midfield and defence, with the England international being highly influential this term. Ollie Watkins can certainly provide the cutting edge and the home crowd are sure to get behind a team who will feel as though they can cause the league leaders a few problems.
Even if Villa aren’t able to land the three points, there’s every chance that they can take a point from the encounter and there’s also the possibility of backing Villa and the draw on the Double Chance market. This means you get the home side and the draw on side, with the Liverpool defence looking far from watertight on the road.
Goals Under/Over
It’s no surprise to find that the Over 2.5 Goals odds are shorter than Liverpool on the Full-Time Result market. According to the prices, there’s a roughly 65% chance that there will be three or more goals scored during the ninety minutes, with that 2-2 draw at Goodison Park coming in the Reds’ last away clash and the net does tend to bulge when they’re in action.
Liverpool are clearly capable of covering the 2.5 Goals line on their own and it’s pretty rare for Aston Villa to draw a blank, especially in front of their own fans. Some punters will want to chance the Over 3.5 Goals odds which is trading at a considerably bigger price and means that you need at least four goals to be scored.
We know that both teams will be going for the three points here and an attack-minded approach could see the goals flying in during the game.
BTTS
The BTTS Yes odds are trading at an identical price to Over 2.5 Goals. In many cases, the former would be shorter than the latter considering that a 1-1 scoreline still involves both teams scoring, although there’s a slight element of doubt as to whether Aston Villa will be able to score against a Liverpool team who may look to grind out a victory.
Even so, we think BTTS Yes should be good for the football accumulators in this game, with Arne Slot adopting an attack-minded strategy even if it’s slightly modified compared to predecessor Jurgen Klopp who was renowned for his rock n roll football. The Dutchman knows that his team are just a few victories away from landing a title in his first season at Anfield.
Even when Liverpool don’t play well, they generally find a way to score and that was in evidence at Anfield where they notched two goals through Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah. Similarly, Aston Villa will be cheered on by a big crowd and they have enough in the tank to find the net at least one.
First Goalscorer
Mohamed Salah looks very likely to finish top scorer in the Premier League this season and the Egyptian has scored countless goals for Liverpool this term. We know that the wide right forward will be on spot kicks and he seems to have the knack of being in the right place to find the net, with opposition defences always stretched when he runs at pace with the ball.
If Salah isn’t the first name on the scoresheet, perhaps Cody Gakpo can be considered, although much depends on whether he’s rotated with Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota or even Darwin Nunez. There are plenty of forward options in the team, while Trent Alexander-Arnold should return to the starting line-up for this one and he’s clearly a threat in attacking areas.
Ollie Watkins is now benefitting from once again being the number one striker for Aston Villa and the England man could be the player that finds the net first in this game. The forward has recently recovered from injury and was the subject of a bid from Arsenal in the January transfer window. Although the deal didn’t go through, perhaps he can benefit the Gunners by scoring first here.