English Premier League Soccer - Liverpool vs. Aston Villa, 7/5/20 - Preview, Prediction & Odds

Having been thrashed by Manchester City in their first game as new Premier League champions, Liverpool will try to bounce back while hosting 18th-placed Aston Villa, who are winless in eight straight EPL games. Kick-off - at 11:30 AM ET on Sunday, July 5.

Liverpool Get Battered In Manchester

Liverpool’s first game as newly-crowned champions of England following a 30-year wait turned into a complete disaster, as deposed champions, Manchester City followed up their pre-match guard of honor with a 4-0 thrashing of the Reds at Etihad Stadium on Thursday. Mohamed Salah hit the post early on before the hosts tallied three times ahead of the interval, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s second-half own-goal ending the proceedings on a downer for Liverpool, who have now lost five of their past nine contests in all competitions (W3 D1 L5). The team has failed to score a single snipe in five straight road games for the first time in 28 years.

Egyptian striker Salah and Senegalese forward Sadio Mane lead the Reds in Premier League goals, having netted 17 and 15 times this season respectively. Goalie Alisson, meanwhile, sits 20th in the EPL with 50 saves. He has picked up 12 clean sheets in 23 contests this year and gives up a goal every 134 minutes on average. Liverpool have scored the 2nd highest quantity of goals during the current campaign (70) while delivering the 3rd highest amount of shots per game (15.4). The team is 2nd in ball possession (59.3%) and 3rd in passing accuracy (84.2%).

Aston Villa Get Edged By Wolves

Aston Villa continued to falter in their bid to stay in the Premier League for another season after dropping a 1-0 decision against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Villa Park last Saturday. Despite outshooting the visitors 11-9 and allowing the Wolves to just two attempts on target, the Villans still allowed the only marker of the game, extending their Premier League tally in goals against in the calendar year of 2020 to a league-worst 24. The Birmingham club has failed to score a single snipe in a game for the fourth time on its last six attempts and sits 18th in the EPL (W7 D6 L19), one point away from safety.

English playmaker Jack Grealish tops Aston Villa’s scoring table with seven Premier League markers for the season, but has not found the back of the net for nine consecutive games. Goalie Orjan Nyland, meanwhile, is 27th in the EPL with 15 saves. He has recorded one clean sheet in seven contests this year and concedes a goal every 45 minutes of play. The Villans have netted the 12th highest number of goals during the ongoing campaign (36) while taking the 10th highest quantity of shots per game (12.2). The team is 14th in ball possession (46.7%) and 11th in passing accuracy (77.4%).

Prediction

Since losing the first leg of their Last 16 Champions League matchup against Atletico Madrid with a count of 1-0 at Wanda Metropolitano on Feb. 18, Liverpool have struggled badly on the road, going winless on five straight travels in all competitions (D1 L4), failing to score a single goal in all of them. At home, though, it is a completely different story, as the Reds currently hold a 100% winning record at Anfield in the league this season, extending their EPL domestic winning run to 23 straight fixtures, scoring 67 goals along the way while allowing just 15. Aston Villa are winless in eight consecutive Premier League matches (D2 L6), failing to score in four of the past six, and have already dropped their very last four EPL encounters with Liverpool, being shut out on two occasions.

Best bet:

Liverpool (Handicap -2) (+230)