Aston Villa v Liverpool: Key stats and talking points

[BBC]

Friday's Premier League match does still hold some significance and a win would secure Villa's place in the top five with a game to spare. They have not lost a final league match at Villa Park since their Premier League return in 2019 (W4, D2), a run which includes an entertaining 3-3 draw with Liverpool two years ago.

Liverpool seek to end season on a high

It would be fair to say that Liverpool's title defence has not gone exactly to plan. The Reds head into this weekend 20 points behind league leaders Arsenal and have amassed 24 fewer points than at this stage last season after suffering 11 defeats.

To put that into context, they lost only four times last season and two of those came in May after the title was already in the bag.

Eight of this season's 11 losses have come on the road – their most away defeats in a top-flight campaign for 14 years – and they have collected just one point from seven trips to face teams currently in the Premier League top nine. Aston Villa are fifth.

"We have dropped far too many points in away games," admitted head coach Arne Slot, who was subjected to boos during last Saturday's draw with Chelsea at Anfield. "But I have every reason to believe I am the Liverpool manager next season."

The 2024-25 Premier League champions will end the campaign without a major trophy for only the third time in the past eight years, but victory at Villa Park would at least confirm Champions League football for next season.

Liverpool hold the upper hand in games against Friday's opponent and have lost only one of their previous 16 Premier League meetings with Villa, winning 12 and drawing three. That sole defeat was a 7-2 thrashing at Villa Park in October 2020 which remains the club's record Premier League defeat.

Another reverse this Friday, by any margin, would see Slot's future called further into question.