While it’s nice that the international break is over and we can get back to proper football again, Aston Villa’s trip to Anfield couldn’t have come at a worse time for Liverpool.
Well, I suppose things could always get worse, but when you couple the Reds poor home record against the Villains with their rash of injuries, it’s just bad timing all around. Paul Lambert’s side are unbeaten in their last three matches in front of the Kop and blazed to a 2-0 lead during their last visit to Merseyside. That their hosts were able to pull a pair back to share the spoils is of course a troubling side-note, but the customary shivers and shakes before running out at Anfield won’t be quite as prevalent this time around — there’s a real belief about this side now.
That’s not to say that Anfield is an easy place to come or that Lambert won’t be worried about the Reds — quite the opposite to be honest. Still, when you’re riding one of your best starts to the season in years and squaring up to a side that hasn’t been able to beat you at home in a season and half, you’re not wrong to feel a bit bullish about your chances; especially when they’ll be missing a number of high profile players.
In his pre-match press conference, Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers confirmed that striker Daniel Sturridge would be sidelined for up to three weeks after picking up a thigh injury over the international break. We’ve known that the 25-year old would miss the meeting with Villa for some time now, but the news that Emre Can has been ruled out for six weeks after hurting his ankle and that Wales midfielder Joe Allen would be subject to a late fitness test came as a bit of a surprise — an unwelcome one, for sure. Add those three players onto the already injured pile that includes defensive trio Martin Skrtel, Glen Johnson and Jon Flanagan, and you can almost hear Lambert rubbing his hands together from here.
Villa have problems of their own though with Christian Benteke, who was such a driving force over their last two meetings with Liverpool, still sidelined with an achilles injury. The Belgian missing out means that Andreas Weimann will likely keep his place beside Gabriel Agbonlahor in attack. They’ll look to use their pace to cause Dejan Lovren and Mamadou Sakho — who is expected to fill in for the still injured Skrtel — problems with the two looking unsteady during the first half against Tottenham.
Former Reds Joe Cole and Aly Cissokho could also return to Anfield after joining Villa during the summer, but most of the eyes will be on former Arsenal and AC Milan man Philippe Senderos and how he copes with the likes of Mario Balotelli and Adam Lallana. The Italian striker is a shoe-in to make his home debut on Saturday with Sturridge ruled out and the former Southampton captain is expected to play a part as well after returning from a knee injury he picked up during pre-season. Senderos has formed a pretty strong partnership with Ron Vlaar since linking up with the Villains over the summer, but they’ll get their first real test of the season as they try to keep the Reds quiet.
Despite their obvious injury woes, strength in depth was the major focus of Rodgers recruitment policy over the summer and this will be the perfect opportunity for a few new faces to show that their here on merit and not on reputation alone. With the all important return to the Champions League less than a week away, turning out a good result against Villa and avoiding any injuries will be exactly what the Northern Irishman wants to see.
Obviously, things don’t always go to plan…
–Steven
