18:29
The teams take to the pitch at this moment, along with referee Paul Tierney. The game can start in a few minutes.
18:15
The duel between the two traditional teams has already happened 190 times across all competitions, with Liverpool winning 93 of them and Aston Villa winning 58. The last three games went to the Reds, but the Villans’ 7-2 win deserves special mention in October 2020. Of course we would like to see a similar goal spectacle today.
18:05
However, Aston Villa also has ambitious plans for the second part of the season. With new coach Unai Emery on the sidelines for three games, they are unbeaten in the league and looking to attack the top half of the table. They are currently in twelfth place on the table and have 18 points on the credit side.
17:53
The role of favorites in this first league game after the World Cup in Qatar is clear. Liverpool is playing a disappointing pre-World Cup period, but is still 7th in the table with 22 points. The team of ex-Dortmund coach Klopp wants to start the big race to catch up today in order to at least reach the Champions League places. Most recently, they played against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup a few days ago, but lost there 2:3.
17:44
To start, let’s take a look at the lineups. At Aston Villa, manager Unai Emery has called up Olsen, Young, Bailey and Watkins in the last league game before the World Cup break. Martínez, Cash, Ramsey and Ings are out for that. Martínez is still missing as world champion goalkeeper because of the extended vacation, Diego Carlos is injured. Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp makes six changes to his team, which has already completed a competitive game a few days ago. Kelleher, Milner, Gomez, Elliott, Bajčetić and Fabio Carvalho are replaced by Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, van Dijk, Fabinho, Henderson and Oxlade-Chamberlain. The Reds also dragged a few injury problems into the so-called second half of the season, Arthur, Díaz and Diogo Jota have to pass. World Cup finalist Konaté is still taking a breather.
17:36
Welcome to the Aston Villa v Liverpool match on the traditional Premier League Boxing Day at Villa Park. Kick-off is at 6:30 p.m.!