Jamie Carragher predicts Aston Villa showdown v Liverpool in Premier League
Jamie Carragher has offered his prediction ahead of the Premier League clash between Aston Villa and Liverpool at Villa Park on Wednesday.
The high-flying Reds travel to B6 on 19 February, just days after scraping past a Matheus Cunha-inspired Wolves side with a 2-1 win.
Arne Slot’s side secured three points but the same can’t be said about the Villans who fell to a 1-1 draw against 10-man Ipswich Town last time out.
This will represent a second game in four days for Unai Emery who is dealing with a hefty injury list and a congested fixture list.
Jamie Carragher backs Liverpool to beat Aston Villa
Regardless of fitness concerns, Villa have maintained an excellent run of form at home, losing just one this season while winning six.
This could result in a tough test for the Premier League leaders who are dealing with their own injury problems as Joe Gomez and Cody Gakpo look likely to be ruled out.
Even with this being the case, former Liverpool defender Carragher has backed his side to take three points back to Anfield with them after their trip to the West Midlands.
The Sky Sports pundit has predicted, via Super 6, that the Merseyside outfit will secure a 2-1 win, condemning Emery to a second defeat in five.
Giving his reasoning for this, he said: “Liverpool will just scrape through as Villa are still without some important players, while Liverpool have a full squad to choose from.”
Aston Villa must make life difficult for Liverpool
Despite sitting top of the Premier League, there is no doubt that the Reds have weaknesses that the Villans can take advantage of.
With that being said, someone like Marcus Rashford could have the opportunity to make his first start since signing from Manchester United.
The England international has previously given Trent Alexander-Arnold the run around at Old Trafford and could look to replicate this in B6.
It will be intriguing to see if the loanee is trusted to start and who else is utilised to try and get the better of Slot’s side.
The home outfit will have to be on top of their game and hope that when chances do come, the likes of Ollie Watkins can take them at Villa Park.
This clash will be far from straightforward for either side but will certainly make for an interesting clash where any result could be possible.