Liverpool at Villa Park and match facts from the BBC

We are not at the end of the season and I'm not even thinking about using the term business end, but we are in need of something tomorrow night to let us go into next week, with a little less nervousness. And I write that for supporters.

And Villa Park under the lights, with next Wednesday coming up, will be some atmosphere and hopefully enough to get us the three points we should have picked up against Burnley. 

And against Burnley, I have to tell you I thought we were going to win and not just before the match, but during it. I felt like it was always coming. To not get the three points has put us in the position of needing them tomorrow because we don't want it to go down to Manchester City with them chasing the title, we know how that will end.

And you're not wrong, we might go into that match having already qualified for the Champions League and that would be fantastic, but at the same time, we can't go into tomorrow night with that mindset. Tomorrow night is all about three points and getting the job done. 

Three points tomorrow confirms Champions League for next season and sets us up for a wonderful next week. Short post today, got lots on. See you on the other side.

Match facts from the BBC

• Aston Villa have won just one of their last 16 Premier League games against Liverpool (D3 L12), a 7-2 home win in October 2020.

• Liverpool have scored at least twice in 10 of their last 11 Premier League away games against Aston Villa, including the last eight in a row. Only Manchester City (11 at Fulham) and Manchester United (9 at West Brom) have had longer runs of scoring 2+ goals away at an opponent in the competition.

• Liverpool won the reverse fixture at Anfield 2-0 in November. They last did the league double over Aston Villa in 2021-22, while they last did so without conceding in 1995-96.

• Aston Villa haven’t lost their final home league match in any of the six seasons since their return to the Premier League in 2019 (W4 D2), including a 3-3 draw with Liverpool in 2023-24.

• Liverpool haven’t won their final away league match in any of the last three seasons (D2 L1), with these games seeing 19 goals scored in total (4-4 v Southampton, 3-3 v Aston Villa, 2-3 v Brighton).

• From October to the end of January, Aston Villa won more games than any other Premier League side (13), with no side winning more points (40, level with Arsenal). Since the start of February, only four sides have won fewer points than the Villans (13).

• Aston Villa have lost four of their last eight Premier League home games (W3 D1), more than they had in their previous 36 at Villa Park (W22 D11 L3).

• Liverpool have lost 11 Premier League games this season, last losing more in 2014-15 (12). Away from home the Reds have lost eight times, last losing more in 2011-12 (10).

• Ollie Watkins has been involved in 12 goals in his last 13 appearances for Aston Villa in all competitions (9 goals, 3 assists). He’d only been involved in nine in his first 39 games this season (8 goals, 1 assist).

• John McGinn has been involved in five goals in his last six appearances for Aston Villa in all competitions (2 goals 3 assists), while his nine goals overall this term is his joint-best return in a single campaign for the Villans (also 9 in 2023-24).