(A) Aston Villa - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                             Sunday 31st March 2013
                                                Villa Park

                                  Aston Villa VS Liverpool

It's been far too long since we last stepped off the pitch having been sorely brought back down to earth against Southampton.  Champions League football is all but mathematically ruled out and it's looking more complex than ever as to whether we'll be able to make European football at all.  It could come down to having to root for a some variation of an all English Europa League final.  I've even started looking at the fair play table!

Whatever run we were hoping to make had been blocked off before we could get into any sort of stride.  The international break has seen us have to stew over the fact that the season is more or less over with eight games to go.  That's no excuse for letting this one go today.  After what happened at Anfield in December, we owe them one.

Things may not have gone according to plan for Brendan Rodgers in his first season in charge but that's nothing compared to what Paul Lambert has had to endure.  Having taken the Premier League by storm last season with Norwich it was only natural that some of the shine would come off this season (the same can be said for Rodgers) but nobody would have expected Villa to be in quite as much trouble as they have been.  Having been dragged firmly into a relegation battle, at one point it looked like the League Cup was to be their salvation but even that turned into a morale sapping loss at the hands of Bradford.

They may be down at the wrong end of the table but have found themselves some form having beaten relegation rivals QPR and Reading in successive games.  Their victory at Anfield - which still rankles - will also give them the confidence to know that they can beat us.  As such it will be vital that we look after Benteke far better than we did that day.  We're likely to have a lot of the ball as despite being at home I expect they'll set up something like the away side.  If Rodgers has been trying to work on our vulnerability at set pieces this will be the perfect test to see whether any of it is paying off.

For once there is good news following an international break in that not only has no-one comeback with an injury but that it's given allowed Pepe Reina and Jamie Carragher some much needed recovery time.  I'm hopeful in that Jordan Henderson will be able to inject some energy into the midfield now Joe Allen has finally been ruled out for the season with the club having actually opted to have the operation he needed.  No doubt when it's all over we'll look to certain games which became the fine line that prevented us from finishing even higher; the 3-1 defeat at Anfield being on top of that list.  If Villa are allowed to complete the double over us and we do go on holiday now that everything appears to have been lost, we may be looking far higher up the table than anyone would like.