Liverpool – Villa: Can we?

Liverpool.
If you’re anything like me, you loathe some clubs. Well, not loathe them as such, but just really struggle with them purely for how they keep winning things. Not just things, but way more things than is fair.
Liverpool, along with Man City, Man U and Chelsea are definitely in that list.
So it’s always nice if you can occasionally beat them.

Straight into squad news and it’s not too bad. Youri Tielemens is still out, but the good news is that it’s hoped he’ll be back in training next week. It’s not that he’s been seriously missed over the last few games, but it appears he’s one of the first names on the teamsheet, so I wonder if he’ll look to be brought back in as soon as possible? Obviously it’ll be a few weeks, but I expect we’ll see him sooner rather than later and that’s good news.

What is certainly a surprise for me, is that Emi Buendia might actually be fit to play in the next few days! What happened there then? It was only a few days ago it looked like he was going to be out for weeks. How strange, but I’m not complaining. He’s actually started to look like the player we were hoping he would be.

And then there’s Andres Garcia. I’ve been calling Emery out, saying he ought to give the right back minutes, but it turns out he’s actually been injured for at least a couple of weeks. I wonder how I missed that news? Whatever, he’s still weeks away.

As for Liverpool, the good news is that it looks like Alexander Izak and Curtis Jones are almost certainly out. In further good news, they still have Goalkeeper Alisson Becker, Jeremie Frimpong and long-term absentee Giovanni Leoni all unavailable.
The downside is that Ryan Gravenberch might be fit.

It’s a meeting of contrasts today, as while we’re on a very good roll, only losing one in our last six, Liverpool are in the opposite position of only having won one in the last six. Playing Palace twice in that run hasn’t helped as the Eagles have had the upper hand on numerous occasions already this season And while that poor run might not last long, it doesn’t surprise me after last season. My opinion then was that I could have managed what was basically Klopp’s team and have challenged in the league. Pool have spent a quarter of a billion in the summer, but you would know it. Let’s be generous and just say it hasn’t happened for them yet.

Then I come to think about what the outcome might be today and I’m scared.
This ought to be a brilliant time to play a top side that’s going through a major lack of form at the moment. But you know what I’m going to say, already, I’m sure.

So just when you’re on a poor run and at your lowes ebb, who is probably the best team in the whole league to play against? Yes, it’s Aston Villa, who can often be relied on to do you a favour. The GAE game was a classic example. Supposed favourites, but we lose to a small Dutch team. That still seriously wrankles.

So while I’d normally be quite confident that we have enough to get the win tonight, I’m extremely reticent to actually come out and say it.

Still, I’m often accused of being overly pessimistic, but it’s often with good cause.
That said, sometimes you have to go a bit daft and be optimistic.

Which is why I’m going to say we’ll win, 2-1.

Just watch the Villa let me down.
The pessimism’s never far away.

UTV!