Liverpool vs Aston Villa LIVE: Klopp suspended for Firmino’s last Anfield game as Reds chase top four – kick-off time, team news and how to follow

Liverpool will look for their eighth consecutive Premier League win this weekend against Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.

The Reds are piling the pressure on Newcastle and Manchester United in the race for the top four, and another win at Anfield could see them leapfrog their rivals.

Finishing in the Champions League spots is out of Liverpool’s hands, but they could make it if they win their last two matches and either the Magpies or the Red Devils slip up.

However, they will be without Jurgen Klopp after the FA handed him a two-match touchline ban for his comments about Paul Tierney in the aftermath of the Reds’ 4-3 win.

Meanwhile, Villa have a very strong chance of finishing in the top six and bringing European football back to Villa Park.

However, should the Villans lose, they could end up finishing as low as ninth, so this is a massive game for both sides.

Liverpool vs Villa: How to follow

This Premier League clash will take place on Saturday, May 20.

Kick-off at Anfield is scheduled for 3pm.

Unfortunately, this fixture will not be televised on UK screens due to the 3pm blackout in English football.

However, highlights will be available on the Sky Sports website and app shortly after the end of the match and then later on Match of the Day.

talkSPORT will have updates from Anfield as part of GameDay Live from 3pm.

Adrian Durham will take you through all the goals from the Premier League, EFL and beyond, including Liverpool vs Aston Villa.

talkSPORT.com will also be on hand for all the best post-match reaction.

To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.

You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

Liverpool vs Aston Villa: Team news

Klopp’s men are without Thiago Alcantara, Calvin Ramsay and Stefan Bajcetic for the remainder of the campaign.

Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino are set to depart Merseyside this summer, along with James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but both are carrying knocks and might not feature in the match.

Darwin Nunez, though, who missed the 3-0 win over Leicester last time out, should be back from a minor toe problem.

There will be no Anfield return for former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho as the Brazilian is set to miss out with a muscle issue.

Calum Chambers is also expected to travel despite missing Thursday’s training due to sickness.

Liverpool vs Aston Villa: What has been said?

Klopp has addressed his ban ahead of Liverpool’s game this weekend.

He said: “I expected a punishment. I would like to know where the money goes. If it’s for a good cause, I’m more than happy to pay it.

“If not, if the FA keeps it, then we have to talk again and I think it’s a bit harsh. People around me were pretty negative, they thought it would be longer!

“One game is OK. It’s like the Southampton game, pretty much the same process – I can watch the game from a better position, be in contact with the boys through my coaches.”

Asked if he’ll be on the pitch for the send-off of his departing Liverpool stars, Klopp added: “Nobody told me differently.

“The game is over then,” he explained. “I’m banned for the game.”

Liverpool vs Aston Villa: Pre-match facts

• Liverpool have won nine of their last 10 Premier League games against Aston Villa, with the exception being a 7-2 loss at Villa Park in October 2020.
• Having won three and lost just one of their six Premier League visits to Anfield between 2009-10 and 2014-15, Aston Villa have lost their last four away league games against Liverpool.
• Liverpool have lost six Premier League home games against Aston Villa overall, only losing more often at Anfield in the competition against Manchester United (12) and Chelsea (7).
• Liverpool have won their final home game in each of the last six Premier League campaigns. Indeed, they’ve only lost their last match at Anfield in one of the last 11 seasons (W9 D1), going down 3-1 against Crystal Palace in 2014-15.
• Aston Villa have won their last away league game in just two of the last 20 seasons, beating Spurs 2-1 in 2020-21 and Arsenal by the same score in 2010-11.
• Liverpool are unbeaten in 11 Premier League home games (W9 D2), winning the last four by a margin of one goal (3-2, 4-3, 1-0, 1-0). They’ve not won more consecutively at Anfield without any of them being by more than a single goal since a run of seven between January and April 1974.
• Since the weekend of Unai Emery’s first Premier League game in charge of Aston Villa, only Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool have won more points than the Villans (45). However, the Spaniard is winless in his last seven meetings with Liverpool in all competitions (D2 L5), since beating them in the 2016 Europa League final with Sevilla.
• Aston Villa have scored 12 goals in the opening 15 minutes of Premier League games this season, accounting for 25% of their total. However, all but one of these goals have come at Villa Park.
• Mohamed Salah has scored in each of his last nine home games in all competitions, a record for a Liverpool player in their history. Since he joined the Reds ahead of the 2017-18 season, he’s scored more home goals in all competitions than any other Premier League player (101).
• Ollie Watkins has scored more Premier League goals against Liverpool than he has against any other opponent (5), netting Aston Villa’s goal in their 3-1 defeat earlier this season. Having already scored home and away Premier League goals against the Reds in 2020-21, he could become the first Aston Villa player to do so in multiple campaigns in the competition.