'I really think': Paul Merson makes bold scoreline prediction for Liverpool vs Aston Villa on Saturday
Yesterday at 03:00 PM
Liverpool and Aston Villa prepare to lock horns in what promises to be one of the most exciting games of the Premier League season so far.
The Reds will look to maintain their spot at the top of the table with another win at Anfield, having won 14 of their 16 games across all competitions under new manager Arne Slot.
| Position | Team | PlayedMP | WonW | DrawnD | LostL | ForGF | AgainstGA | DiffGD | PointsPts |
| 1 | LiverpoolLiverpool | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 6 | 13 | 25 |
| 2 | Man CityManchester City | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 23 |
| 3 | Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 19 |
| 4 | ChelseaChelsea | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 12 | 8 | 18 |
| 5 | ArsenalArsenal | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 18 |
| 6 | Aston VillaAston Villa | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 15 | 2 | 18 |
Villa, on the other hand, are sixth in the table but are level on points with Arsenal and Chelsea, while they have also fared daily well in the UEFA Champions League with nine points from four games.
Ahead of the game at Anfield, Paul Merson has delivered an interesting prediction that is unlikely to sit well with the Liverpool faithful…
Paul Merson predicts a draw between Liverpool and Aston Villa
Liverpool looked like they were going to drop points against Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend but turned things around in the second half thanks to goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah to win the game 2-1.
Villa were beaten 4-1 by Tottenham Hotspur, but Merson believes their performance against Spurs was a one-off, adding that Liverpool haven’t been as good as what their points tally might suggest.
“This is a big game for both clubs,” wrote Merson in his column for Sportskeeda.
“I saw Brighton against Liverpool and they were actually better than Arne Slot’s men for the majority of that game. I just don’t think Liverpool are playing well enough to get a win in this game.
“If they give Villa the kind of chances they gave Brighton, the likes of Jhon Duran and Ollie Watkins will punish them. Liverpool were really fortunate to come away with a win in the last game, but I doubt they’ll have that kind of luck here.”
The Arsenal legend expects a tough game at Anfield to finish all square as he predicted a 2-2 draw.
Merson continued: “Villa may have conceded four goals against Tottenham, but that can happen when you play a team like Spurs.
“So I’m not reading too much into that scoreline and I really think Villa can cause Liverpool problems in this game.”
On the other hand, Chris Sutton feels Liverpool will beat Aston Villa to go into the international break at the top of the Premier League standings.
What happened in this fixture last season?
The corresponding fixture finished 3-0 in favour of Liverpool last season as they brushed aside Villa at Anfield.
The reverse fixture, however, was a thrilling game of football in what was one of Jurgen Klopp’s last few games as Liverpool boss as it finished 3-3.
The Reds were cruising to a 3-1 win, but Duran came on as a second-half substitute and scored two fantastic goals to give Emery’s side a point on their travels.
