please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Hello and welcome to the official match thread for Saturdayâs Barclays Premier League encounter between Liverpool & Aston Villa. The game is scheduled to be played at Anfield on Saturday 15th December 2012 with a kick-off time of 3PM. English T.V wonât be showing the game but streams are normally posted before & during the game. Absolute Radio has the radio rights to Saturdayâs game. (Build-up begins at 1.30PM) Preview. It's less than two years since these two managers faced each other in the Championship, with Swansea and Norwich, before both of them guided their clubs into the Premier League. After one top-flight season they left last summer to take on the challenge of rebuilding their new clubs, and both have recently given supporters signs that some progress is being made. Brendan Rodgers goes into the game after back-to-back league victories for the first time as Liverpool manager and with his team in new territory in the top half of the table. Last week's comeback at West Ham was important for self belief, not least as it was achieved without Luis Suarez. The return of a striker who has eight goals in his last 10 Premier League matches will hardly be welcomed by Villa. A Liverpool striker has hit 20 league goals or more just once in the last 16 seasons - Fernando Torres claimed 24 in 2007-08. Suarez already has 10. They go into the weekend just four points off the Champions League places and will feel, if they can continue their recent consistency, they could be closer than in recent years. Villa's young team, though, have six points from the last 12 and haven't lost since I saw them beaten 5-0 at Manchester City. Their confidence will have been boosted this week with the performance against Norwich that took them into the League Cup semi-finals. There's no doubt that one of the positives this season has been the all-round form of Christian Benteke, however the lack of team goals will still be a big concern. I did watch them earn a deserved win at Sunderland last month - their only one away from Villa Park since January. They will at least need to match those levels on Merseyside, as Liverpool face the first of five consecutive fixtures that don't involve any of the current top eight, an opportunity to continue to raise the levels of optimism and begin the new year in a positive frame of mind. - Match preview taken from http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20650106 - Injury News. Liverpool. Martin Kelly: ACL Knee Injury. José Enrique: Hamstring Injury. Fabio Borini: Foot Injury. Aston Villa. Richard Dunne: Groin Injury. Ron Vlaar: Calf Injury. Enda Stevens: Ankle Injury. Stiliyan Petrov: Acute Leukaemia. Gary Gardner: ACL Knee Injury. Gabriel Agbonlahor: Knock. Darren Bent: Hamstring Injury. Suspension News. Liverpool. No suspensions currently recorded. Aston Villa. No suspensions currently recorded. Liverpool 1 - 3 Aston Villa Goalscorers: Aston Villa... Christian Benteke: 29th minute. Aston Villa... Andreas Wiemann: 40th minute. Aston Villa... Christian Benteke: 51st minute. Liverpool... Steven Gerrard: 87th minute. Liverpool: Reina - Johnson Skrtel Agger Downing - Allen Henderson Gerrard - Sterling Suarez Cole SUBS: Jones Wisdom Carragher Coates Lucas Shelvey Suso - Liverpool Substitution: Jonjo Shelvey comes off to be replaced by Joe Cole. (45th minute) Liverpool Substitution: Lucas Leiva comes off to be replaced by Jordan Henderson. (60th minute) - Aston Villa: Guzan - Lowton Baker Clark Lichaj - Delph Westwood El Ahmadi Herd N'Zogbia - Benteke SUBS: Given Bennett Bannan Albrighton Holman Weimann Bowery - Aston Villa Substitution: Brett Holman comes off to be replaced by Fabian Delph. (69th minute) Aston Villa Substitution: Barry Bannan comes off to be repalced by Karim El Ahmadi. (85th minute) Aston Villa Substitution: Andreas Weimann comes off to be replaced by Charles N'Zogbia. (90th minute) - YNWA.
Been pretty busy this week so I haven't had time to do a proper preview. Apologies for that! I should have the time to do my own preview for the game with Fulham next week.
I'm more nervous than ever as a win today is going to keep us in touch with that top 4 and a loss keeps us in touch with mid table.
Great thread Chris as always. They have a fair few injuries, but they still have some good fire power upfront in Benteke and Weisman. If we score early I think we'll go on to win comfortably, but the longer the game goes on without us scoring the nervier it'll get.
To coin a phrase from the high jump, i've set the bar too high! Agbonlahor could play today. Has a knock and will have a late fitness test to see if he can play. And as Gerrez has already said, Bent would have been unlikely to play any part even if he was fit. Some of that is due to the good form of Christian Benteke but he just seems to be frozen out by Lambert. Bust up or more money due to Sunderland if he plays any more in the Premier League? Who knows.
Let's ****ing do this Redmen Vital to keep the pressure on the two Mank clubs for that second spot. COYR
I reckon Bent would of come on. Hid did start the last Villa game too. He's their biggest threat imo.
Good thread as per usual, still going to have to go some way to beat my Southampton one from 2 weeks ago though Been on a good run of form recently (since I did the match thread... coincidence or can I take 100% of the credit for that?) and a win today would put the pressure on those around us that play tomorrow (Spurs, West Brom, Arsenal, Swansea & West Ham) and Everton who have a tricky game away at Stoke today.
This is huge, not so much in putting pressure on others but in giving us confidence and belief. Some people say it's three points no matter who you beat etc But I believe a win today would be massive for us.
We will **** this one up, standard really considering Brendan's comments for finishing 2nd. This sort of optimism is always followed by disappointment.
