Liverpool’s busy schedule continues as they travel to Aston Villa on Wednesday for a 7:30pm GMT kick-off. The Reds recently extended their lead at the top of the Premier League with a 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. However, it wasn’t an easy victory, as Arne Slot’s side faced significant pressure in the second half and failed to register a single shot on target.
Slot acknowledged that his team was mentally drained after conceding a 98th-minute equalizer in the Merseyside derby against Everton just four days earlier. He said: “All the events that happened on Wednesday evening… it’s not only working hard, but what did it do to us mentally as well? These last eight minutes of injury time affected everyone.”
Despite the mental fatigue, Slot is hopeful his players will recover and be ready for their two difficult away trips this week, first facing Villa and then Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Aston Villa, despite a less-than-ideal season sitting ninth in the table, strengthened in January with high-profile signings like Marcus Rashford, Donyell Malen, Marco Asensio, and Andres Garcia. They will be eager to bounce back after a 1-1 draw with relegation-threatened Ipswich Town.
Aston Villa Team News:
- Pau Torres – Out (foot injury since January)
- Amadou Onana – Out (recovering from a hamstring injury)
- Matty Cash – Out (muscle issue, expected to miss at least another week)
- Ezri Konsa – Doubt (setback in FA Cup match against Tottenham)
- Ross Barkley – Doubt (calf issue, missed last eight games)
- Boubacar Kamara – Doubt (injured during the Ipswich match, extent unknown)
- Leon Bailey – Minor doubt (missed Ipswich match, but expected to recover)
Liverpool Team News:
- Joe Gomez – Out (hamstring issue, possible surgery required)
- Tyler Morton – Out (shoulder surgery last week, no Premier League appearances this season)
- Cody Gakpo – Doubt (recovering from a knock sustained in the 2-2 draw against Everton, may not feature)
- Curtis Jones – Return (back from a one-match suspension after his red card in the Merseyside derby)
