Aston Villa – Liverpool

In Birmingham, the home team won’t lose to the Merseysiders

The Aston Villa - Liverpool match in the penultimate round of the English Premier League has been postponed to Friday. The reason is quite favorable for the hosts, who next Wednesday in Istanbul will face the Europa League final against Freiburg. Given Unai Emery's distinctive coaching approach, on Thursday in Birmingham a reception for the Europa League winners—the continent's second-tier club competition—is expected. According to bookmakers, the Villans' focus on the decisive Europa League clash will harm their preparation for the match against Liverpool and the quality of play against the visiting stars. However, looking at Aston Villa's league position before the 37th round, it is not at all clear which of Emery's matches he will set his players up more zealously for. The Birmingham club sits in fifth place in the table and, by tiebreakers, trails the fourth-placed upcoming opponent. In the last round, Aston Villa are due to face Manchester City, who at that moment will most likely not lose motivation in the race for the championship trophy. If Emery now deprioritizes the Premier League and loses both finishing fixtures, he risks dropping out of the Champions League places, with Bournemouth moving ahead of them. The Cherries have not lost for four months, so they could well win their remaining fixtures against Manchester City and Nottingham Forest, thereby erasing Aston Villa's four-point deficit. Of course, the Villans could qualify for the next edition of the Champions League by winning the Europa League, but is such a result guaranteed for them? Nor should Liverpool be underestimated either. In the penultimate round, the Reds lost to a Manchester United that was already not very motivated at Old Trafford, and last Saturday they failed to beat a barely living Chelsea at home. Aston Villa, in turn, has won five of their last six home games in the Europa League and the Premier League. It is also worth recalling that in the home meetings with Liverpool in the last two seasons, Aston Villa did not lose, finishing them 2-2 and 3-3. Let's bet that despite their busy schedule, the home side will not lose to the Merseyside club.