Arne Slot's Liverpool have another chance to seal UEFA Champions League qualification as they face Aston Villa in their Premier League game on Friday.
Like Liverpool, Villa also have a chance to confirm their participation in next year's Champions League with a win. Both teams are on same points at 59 with Liverpool ahead at fourth thanks to a better goal difference. Here's everything you need to know about the match:
Here's everything you need to know about the match.
How to watch
The match will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event in the UK, NBC in the U.S., JioHotstar in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN's live coverage here.
Key Details
Kick-off time: Friday, May 15 at 8 p.m. BST (3 p.m. ET; 12:30 p.m. IST; and 5 a.m. AEST, Saturday)
Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
VAR: Neil Davies
Injury News
Liverpool
Alisson Becker - muscle injury, DOUBT
Mohamed Salah - muscle injury, DOUBT
Hugo Ekitike - achilles injury, OUT.
Conor Bradley - knee injury, OUT.
Giovanni Leoni - knee, OUT.
Stefan Bajcetic - hamstring, OUT.
Wataru Endo - ankle, OUT
Aston Villa
Amadou Onana - calf injury, DOUBT
Boubacar Kamara - knee injury, OUT
Alysson Edward - muscle injury, DOUBT
Talking Points
Not much support for Slot, but he might survive the sack
After the 1-1 draw against Chelsea last weekend, Anfield had shown its disapproval of the team's performance. They were booed off the pitch by their faithful supporters, increasing the pressure on Slot who is unable to change his team's fortunes.
Liverpool are still in a good position to qualify for the Champions League and a win against Aston Villa will get the job done, but Slot might still be under pressure. Throughout the season, Slot has failed to get consistent results, and the performances have been significantly below par. Even against teams who struggled this season, Liverpool failed to win matches against Wolves, Burnley, Tottenham and Chelsea.
Reports indicate that the club management is keen to give Slot one more year. A large section of the fanbase, including the match-going crowd have shown their disapproval of the performances. Slot can survive the sack but he needs to do a lot of work to win back the fans and also turn around the team.
Will Villa rotate the squad?
Unai Emery's side are on the same points as Liverpool and are keen to confirm their Champions League qualification with a win. However, they are also playing Freiburg in the Europa League final on May 20 followed by Manchester City on the final matchday of the Premier League.
Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery has praised his side performance against Nottingham Forest in the UEFA Europa League semi final 2nd leg but has warmed about the treat of facing German sides.
It will be interesting to see how Emery will use his squad for the upcoming matches. If he loses against Liverpool with a heavily rotated squad, pressure will increase on winning the Europa League, which can confirm Champions League qualification. The team can also lose both games and then have to win their final league match against a tough Man City side who could be fighting for the title.
Like Liverpool, Villa are also in a good position to make it to the Champions League because the top five teams qualify. Still, Emery will want to get the job done as soon as possible and follow it up with a title in Europa.
Liverpool players should also take the blame
There was one particular moment during the match against Chelsea which showed how much the players have fallen off a year into winning the league title. It was 1-1 and close to the final whistle. After collecting a cross safely, goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili was looking to release the ball quickly but he barely had any options as Liverpool players simply didn't run or even made an effort to go into the attacking areas.
Liverpool players' form and fitness took a major hit. Last year's key performers like Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Ibrahima Konaté struggled this season. Even Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, Liverpool's best players last season, failed to live up to their standards and new signings like Alexander Isak and Jeremie Frimpong barely had an impact.
Most of the furore has been about Slot but the players' performances have dropping off so drastically and they failed to take up responsibility.
John McGinn -- Villa's most important player
John McGinn's intensity and work rate makes him not only one of the key players for Aston Villa but also an example in the league. His relentlessness on the pitch, both off the ball and goals, has been a vital factor in Villa's successful runs in Premier League and Europa League.
When McGinn was out injured earlier in the season, Aston Villa ended up winning just three out of the 10 games. After he made his return, Villa ended up winning six of the next eight games. McGinn also scored a brace in the second leg Europa League semifinal as they beat Nottingham Forest 4-1 to enter the final.
Going into the final stretch, Emery will hope McGinn will keep up with his form and make it a memorable season for them.
Stats
Aston Villa have won just one of their last 16 league games against Liverpool (D3, L12).
Liverpool won the reverse fixture at Anfield 2-0, they last did the league double over Aston Villa in 2021-22.
Liverpool have lost 11 Premier League games this season, last losing more in 2014-15 (12).
Ollie Watkins has been involved in 12 goals in his last 13 matches for Villa in all competitions (9 goals, 3 assists).
Liverpool haven't won their final away league match in any of the last three seasons (D2, L1).