English Premier
2011-12-18 - Aston Villa vs Liverpool
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Sunday 18 December 2011 - Kick Off 2:05pm
This game is live on TV
Aston Villa
Alex McLeish saw his side earn an important win at Bolton last week, one that will at least keep the fans from getting on his back. However, those attending Villa Park on Sunday afternoon will be expecting the side to put in a much sterner effort than the one they did against Manchester United here recently.
Aston Villa are 9th in the Premier League table and have earned 19 points from their opening 15 games of the season. They are 3-2-2 at Villa Park this season, scoring 10 goals and conceding 7, giving them one of the better home defences so far this season. Only 3 teams have conceded less goals than Villa at home.
The win over Bolton was their first in 4 League games and it was also the first goals the teams have scored since the beginning of November. Villa have lost 2 of their last 3 home games and their last performance against Manchester United here was vastly disappointing as they barely troubled the Red Devils backline.
Shay Given remains out until the New Year, while Jermaine Jenas is a long-term absentee and Gabby Agbonlahor is suspended until the midweek set of games. Fabian Delph should be available for selection.
Liverpool
It seems the biggest talking point at Anfield at the moment is whether there are enough goals being scored by the team to really give them a chance to finish in the top 4. There are also some question marks about whether there is enough personnel in the midfield with injuries to Lucas and Steven Gerrard, and Kenny Dalglish has hinted he may be involved in the transfer market in January.
Liverpool are 6th in the Premier League table as we enter this Christmas period, but they are 5 points off the top 4 places and cannot really afford to keep dropping what they consider to be 'silly' points. They are 4-0-3 away from home this year, scoring 8 goals and conceding 7, meaning they have the 3rd best away defensive record in the League so far.
A 1-0 win over QPR at Anfield means Liverpool extended their run to 1 loss in 13 games in all competitions. That one loss came in their last game away from home at Fulham, although that was a game that Liverpool had dominated and deserved a lot more from. The Reds had won 6 consecutive away games in all competitions and they had scored 2 goals in each of those wins.
Kenny Dalgish is short of midfield options for the game as Lucas and Steven Gerrard are injured, while Jay Spearing is in the 2nd of his 3 game suspension. Luiz Suarez is available as his hearing at the FA will not produce a result until Tuesday at the earliest.
Head to Head
Aston Villa beat Liverpool 1-0 at home in the last meeting between the sides, but they have not had that much success against the Reds before that.
Villa had failed to win any of their previous 13 home games against Liverpool before that win.
Prediction
This is the meat in the QPR-Manchester United and Manchester City-Arsenal sandwich on Sunday afternoon and it should be an intriguing game.
Liverpool have been playing a lot better away from home than they have at Anfield as the onus falls on their hosts to earn the points and allows Liverpool to exploit more spaces.
Aston Villa have played a very cautious style under Alex McLeish and that was shown from their limited amount of goals scored this season. The 2 they scored at Bolton was the first they have managed since the beginning of November and they also seemed to be a little preventative when playing Manchester United at home.
Goals have usually been tough to come in games between the teams and that can be seen from the fact that 5 of the last 6 Premier League games has seen one or both of the sides fail to score.
5 of the last 6 League games at Villa Park have also seen one of the sides fail to get on the scoreboard so the 1.92 looks worth taking here.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Aston Villa 0-1 Liverpool
FIXED ODDS BETTING TIP :
I'll back Both Teams NOT to Score @ 1.92 (Stan James)
