Aston Villa vs Liverpool preview: Christian Benteke squares up to his former club in search of goals
A look ahead to the Premier League fixture at Villa Park.
It’s a big game for…
Christian Benteke:
Up against his former club and likely still bruised from painfully crashing out of the FA Cup in extra time, the Belgian striker has a reason to give everything against Villa. Questions were raised over his finishing after several missed opportunities against West Ham. Benteke therefore must ensure he hits the back of the net to silence critics.
Best stat…
1: Liverpool have lost only one of their last 17 Premier League trips to Aston Villa. Villa on the contrary are unbeaten in their last four league matches at home, and will look to use their momentum to climb out of last place.
Remember when…
Christian Benteke placed the ball into the bottom corner with precision against Liverpool, sending them out of the FA Cup in 2015. The striker will be looking replicate such form, and will have his sights set on disrupting the Villans’ defence.
Player to watch…
Gabriel Agbonlahor
Off the back of a win, and with Liverpool’s defence looking shaky at best, Aston Villa’s main strategy will likely be playing around their front man. Liverpool are blighted by numerous injuries in defence and have shown their makeshift defence struggle to deal with target men. Agbonlahor, who scored in the team’s convincing win over Norwich, could cause real problems for Liverpool if he performs.
Past three-meetings…
Liverpool 3 (Milner, Sturridge 2) Aston Villa 2 (Gestede 2)
Premier League, September 2015.
Aston Villa 2 (Benteke, Delph) Liverpool 1 (Coutinho)
FA Cup, April 2015.
Liverpool 2 (Borini, Lambert) Aston Villa 0
Premier League, January 2015.
Form guide…
Aston Villa: DWDLLW
Liverpool: WLDLDL
Vital information…
KICK-OFF TIME: 2:05PM
TV: Live on Sky Sports1, highlights on BBC1