ENGLISH PREMIER BETTING PREVIEW - ASTON VILLA VS LIVERPOOL

English Premier

2026-05-15 - Aston Villa vs Liverpool

A Sports Betting Preview by Auls

Aston Villa v Liverpool
Football: English Premier League
Friday 15th May 2026 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV

---

Aston Villa

Two Premier League games remain for clubs in the top flight and Aston Villa have one European Final to think about as they bid to make sure they are playing in the Champions League next season. A couple of poor results against sides that are either relegated or fighting to avoid relegation has just left the top five door ajar and Unai Emery's team cannot think about the Europa League Final and ignore this important Premier League fixture.

The draw at Turf Moor last weekend means Aston Villa are still 5th in the Premier League table, but they are 4 points clear of Bournemouth and 6 points clear of Brighton, who both won last weekend. With that said, most will believe Aston Villa already have enough points on the board to finish in the top five, but the manager will remember what happened last season and will be urging for his team to produce a big performance on Friday evening.

Aston Villa have won 1 of the last 5 games in all competitions, but they had lost 3 in a row before the win over Nottingham Forest in the Europa league Semi Final Second Leg. The side have won 5 of the last 6 games at Villa Park in all competitions, but Aston Villa were beaten 0-2 by Tottenham Hotspur in the last Premier League fixture played here.

Amadou Onana has to be considered a doubt. The manager may choose to make some changes, but Ross Barkley is expected to start having not been included in the Europa League squad.

Liverpool

Much like the opponent in this penultimate Premier League fixture, Liverpool will be regretting two dropped points last weekend that has left them with some work to do in order to finish in the top five. Arne Slot has been backed by the board, but the Dutchman may find himself out of a job if Liverpool miss out on the Champions League and this is an important fixture to ease any lingering concerns of finishing outside of those positions.

The Reds are 4th in the Premier League table and have the same gap between themselves and the likes of Bournemouth and Brighton as Aston Villa have. One more win will take Liverpool back into the Champions League ahead of an important summer, but they will be concluding an away schedule in which they have produced a 7-3-8 record.

Liverpool had won 3 Premier League games in a row and looked to be in a comfortable position in the standings, but a 3-2 loss at Manchester United followed by a 1-1 home draw with Chelsea has just held them back. The away form has been particularly disappointing with 6 losses in the last 8 games played on their travels, although the exceptions have both been in Liverpool wins.

Alisson and Mo Salah may have had enough time to recover from injuries and return to the squad. Florian Wirtz missed out last Saturday with an illness, but should be available, while Ibrahima Konate is a doubt.

Head to Head

Liverpool beat Aston Villa 2-0 at Anfield earlier this season.

They are unbeaten in the last 5 visits to Villa Park since the 7-2 defeat in October 2020, but the last 2 have both ended in draws.

Prediction

It is never easy second guessing managers and the plans they have, but it would be a real surprise if Unai Emery makes wholesale changes for this final home Premier League game.

If Aston Villa had won at Turf Moor, you could make a case for the changes with Champions League Football almost certainly secured, but a defeat on Friday would leave the team in a vulnerable spot.

Last season a defeat in Manchester on the final day cost Aston Villa a place in the Champions League and you have to believe they will want to try and wrap up a top five finish before travelling to Manchester City on the final day.

That fixture will be played after the Europa League Final, which is also potentially problematic, and so you have to believe that a largely first team selection will be made for this game.

A draw is not a terrible result, but Aston Villa will know three points puts them back in with the elite next season.

All of the same, apart from the European Final coming up, applies to Liverpool too, although they do have a more 'winnable' fixture on the last day. A stronger goal difference also helps, but Liverpool have continued to struggle for consistency and Arne Slot will be keen to wrap up this season with Champions League Football secured.

This will give him time to get working and trying to get his team better prepared in the off-season, but Liverpool have struggled away from home in recent weeks and that makes them hard to back as the favourite.

Back to back draws at Villa Park also suggests it will be tough for the road team, although the belief is that the layers are anticipating many will be focusing on Aston Villa's distraction levels being a real factor in the way punters will bet.

Those will be looking to back against a team with a big trophy to play for, but Unai Emery is experienced and knows the pressure will ramp up on his team if they were to be beaten on Friday night. They could then need a big result at the Etihad Stadium to hold off those behind them if Aston Villa have failed to win the Europa League and all of that can be avoided by earning a positive result on Friday.

The draw feels like a real player, but Aston Villa have been in decent form at home in recent weeks at the same time as Liverpool have struggled on their travels.

With that said, backing the host with a start on the Asian Handicap looks the play to open this Premier League weekend.

The Pick :

Aston Villa 2-1 Liverpool

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

I'll back Aston Villa + 0.25 Asian Handicap at 1.87 with Cloudbet