The third round of the FA Cup is undoubtedly one of the standout occasions on the English football calendar. Fittingly, we have an all-Premier League clash to kick things off.
Aston Villa welcome Liverpool to Villa Park on Friday night, with seven points currently separating the two sides in the top-flight table.
Leaders Liverpool have lost just two of their 17 league matches and sit on 33 points, while eight wins in 15 outings mean eighth-place Villa are pushing for a European spot.
Dean Smith’s men enjoyed an outstanding five-game unbeaten streak in December, with three wins and two draws coming during that period.
Villa also kept four consecutive clean sheets last months, so it is hardly surprising that only two sides – Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur – have a better defensive record in the top tier.
It is also worth pointing out that the Villains have been scoring plenty of goals, too. Jack Grealish has bagged six goals and nine assists in all competitions this term.
Villa were unfortunate to come away from Old Trafford with nothing last time out. Bertrand Traore cancelled out Anthony Martial’s opener, but Bruno Fernandes netted a controversially awarded penalty.
On the flip side, Liverpool were beaten 1-0 by Southampton on Monday, extending their winless run in the Premier League to three games in the process.
Despite recording 67% possession and 17 shots at St. Mary’s, the Reds only managed one attempt on target throughout the entire 90 minutes.
Following back-to-back draws against West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United, second-place Manchester United are now level with Liverpool with a game in hand over the champions.
Still, Jurgen Klopp’s men are the top scorers in the division. They have netted 37 goals in 17 games, with top-scorer Mohamed Salah contributing 13.
Head-to-head: Aston Villa famously thrashed Liverpool 7-2 when the teams last met back in October, with Ollie Watkins bagging a hat-trick.
However, Liverpool had won four of the five meetings between the teams in all competitions prior to Villa’s unexpected victory.
Team news: Aston Villa will be without injured duo Wesley and Trezeguet on Friday, while Ross Barkley is still thought to be struggling for fitness.
Meanwhile, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Naby Keita, Diogo Jota, Joel Matip and Kostas Tsimikas are all currently injured for Liverpool.
It remains to be seen whether or not either manager will choose to field a full-strength starting XI on Friday. Either way, Liverpool are expected to be too strong for Villa.
Forebet predicts that Liverpool will net over 2.5 goals on their way to victory over Aston Villa. However, both teams are likely to get on the scoresheet.
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