Liverpool head to Aston Villa knowing that Champions League qualification is close, but not yet mathematically finished.
Arne Slot’s side have been limping towards the line in recent weeks, with the 1-1 draw against Chelsea only adding to the feeling that performances and results have both dipped.
Now Chris Sutton has predicted another frustrating night for us at Villa Park.
Writing for BBC Sport, Sutton pointed to Villa’s upcoming Europa League final against Freiburg as a major factor in the game.
The pundit said: “Aston Villa have got the Europa League final against Freiburg on Wednesday so what will Unai Emery do here?”
He added: “The last time Villa had a big European game coming up, against Nottingham Forest in the semi-finals earlier this month, Emery made seven changes against Tottenham and his team were awful.”
Sutton still doesn’t believe Villa can afford to rotate heavily again, especially with their players needing to build rhythm before travelling to Istanbul.
That makes this a strange fixture to read because Villa have a final on the horizon, but they also have a crowd that will expect energy before potentially ending a major trophy drought.
Sutton was also honest about Liverpool’s own situation, saying: “Liverpool are hardly flying at the moment either, though, and like Villa they are not guaranteed a top-five finish yet.”
His final verdict was clear: “A draw feels like the most likely outcome.”
Sutton’s prediction was then given as “1-1”, which would mean another game without a win for a Liverpool side badly needing to rebuild some belief.
There are reasons to be more optimistic, with Mo Salah set to return for at least a few minutes and Ibou Konate fit again.
Opta also gives Liverpool a 97.34% chance of securing Champions League football, so one more positive result should be enough to settle nerves.
However, our recent football has been too passive and predictable, and supporters will want more than simply crawling over the line.
Villa may have one eye on Europe, but Liverpool still need to show that this season won’t end with another flat performance.
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