Liverpool tomorrow, match facts and competition winner

Something happened this week and I wasn't around, so maybe it's best I don't write about it. We were never going to win it and while it was nice to give a group of players a run out, the manager was not taking the tournament that seriously so why should we be concerned by the outcome.

So we should change out attention to tomorrow. We were going to have to play one of the better teams at some stage this season and they don't get much better than Liverpool. This is going to tell us a lot.

Me, I'd rather we lose but at least gave it a go and I think everyone knows I'll be pulling my hair out if we go out tomorrow and try not to lose. That type of approach will destroy morale and we're not going to get better with that approach. And we have the players capable of winning this game.

If Leicester can go out and play to win against teams like Liverpool and achieve it, so do we. You don't get something if you don't want it. Tomorrow is an important match and mostly for that. It will be a message about how the manager is going to approach this season.

And Liverpool are also going to be missing a few players. There is also a chance that we will be missing players after playing Liverpool. There is a chance they'll have players playing tomorrow with the virus and that means there is a chance that some of ours get it too.

And before the season is postponed again, it would be nice if we could have that feeling of positivity and believe that we are heading in the right direction. Because it is going to get postponed again.

Right, with that written, there is not much else for me to say other than Ross Barkley is a great signing. It surprises me that Lampard has let him go if I'm honest, but Frank knows best and his best is very good for us. I suspect it means Hourihane missing out and he's done okay this season, but Barkley is on another level and should be able to offer us more.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow. It's a massive game for us.

Competition winner

Because I said I was going to do this live, I've never got round to it, so this morning I put three numbers in a random generator and clicked the button. Number 1 came out and number 1 was Gavin. Say hello in the comments Gavin, you're going to be getting an email from someone at Luke 1977 for your address. Congratulations.

Match facts from the BBC

Head-to-head

• Liverpool have earned five successive Premier League victories against Aston Villa, by an aggregate score of 15-3.
• Villa's only win in their past 19 top-flight home games in this fixture came in May 2011 (D5, L13). Liverpool have won on their subsequent six league visits.
• This fixture has produced 20 away wins, the most in Premier League history: 14 for Liverpool, six for Villa.

Aston Villa

• Villa haven't won each of their opening three top-flight games in a season since 1962-63.
• It's 120 years since the only time they began a season by keeping three successive clean sheets in the league.
• Their current six-match unbeaten league run is the longest of any side in the Premier League prior to this weekend's fixtures.
• Dean Smith's side are vying to win three consecutive matches in the division for the first time since April 2010.
• The Villans haven't beaten the reigning Premier League champions at home in 18 attempts since coming from 2-0 down to win 3-2 against Arsenal in December 1998 (D7, L11).

Liverpool

• Liverpool could become the first team in top-flight history to win each of their opening four league matches in three consecutive seasons.
• The Reds have attempted 61 shots in their three league games this season - 17 more than any other side prior to the weekend's fixtures.
• Sadio Mane has scored six goals in as many Premier League appearances against Aston Villa. This includes the fastest ever Premier League hat-trick of two minutes and 56 seconds while playing for Southampton in May 2015.
• Mane can become the first Liverpool player to score in four consecutive away league matches since Daniel Sturridge's six-match streak between April and October 2013.
• Andy Robertson has provided a goal or assist in seven of his past eight league appearances for Liverpool, only failing to do so against Chelsea in this run.