The Reds come into this match at the back of a seven match unbeaten run and will be hoping to extend that when they face a struggling Aston Villa side. Liverpool were against Sunderland in their last encounter a match they won through a solitary goal from youngster Lazar Markovic who scored his first Premier League goal.
Villa on the other hand have managed just 22 points from 21 games much of this has been down to the forward line which has failed to make a significant impact this season. Aston Villa have recorded 11 goals in the Premier League so far which is a league low. Such is the plight of the Villans that they failed to score in their last encounter against rock bottom side Leicester City.
Goalkeeper Brad Guzan has urged his teammates to get rid of any nerves and take responsibility as Paul Lambert's men prepare for a difficult fixture against the top four hopefuls.
"It's not about being nervous," Guzan said.
"It's the time of your life to be a professional footballer. We are very fortunate to do what we do.
"So it's not about nerves, it's about relishing the challenges and accepting the responsibility as players, as staff and as a club." "We have to accept that challenge and find a way to fight through it, and that's what we're going to do.
"There's not a lack of quality or belief as we're together from the start to the finish, and we're only halfway through the year."
"There's no need to hit a panic button, no need to be worrying about relegation."
The reverse fixture back in September resulted in a 1-0 win for Aston Villa with Gabriel Agbonlahor getting on the score sheet. Villa secured the signature of attacking midfielder Carles Gil from Valencia however the Spanaird may not be able to feature during the weekend fixture.
Raheem Sterling will return to the squad after being rested in the game against Sunderland whereas full back Glen Johnson has also returned to training. However there are doubts over the likes of Steven Gerrard (hamstring) and Joe Allen (knee) who trained away from the rest of the team, whereas Adam Lallana's inclusion in the squad will be determined through a late test.
Ciaran Clark received his marching orders in the match against Leicester City which means that he will not be available for selection. Whereas centre backs Ron Vlaar (knee) and Philippe Senderos (calf) are still out.
Aston Villa vs Liverpool team sheets
Aston Villa's lineup: Guzan, Hutton, Okore, Baker, Cissokho, Sanchez, Westwood, Delph, Cleverley, Agbonlahor, Benteke.
Liverpool's lineup: Mignolet, Can, Skrtel, Sakho, Markovic, Moreno, Lucas, Henderson, Sterling, Coutinho, Borini
Aston Villa's subs: Given, Bacuna, Weimann, Richardson, Gil, N’Zogbia, Lowton.
Liverpool's subs: Ward, Enrique, Lambert, Manquillo, Lallana, Ibe, Williams
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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