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2023/24 English Premier League
Matchday 37
Aston Villa v Liverpool
Villa Park
Birmingham, England
Monday, 13 May 2024
Kick-off is at 21h00
Nothing but three points will do for Liverpool when they travel to Villa Park for a
Premier League clash with Aston Villa on Monday, May 13.
The Reds kept their faint title hopes alive after beating Tottenham 4-2 at Anfield on May 5 to close within five points of league leaders Arsenal in third place.
Jurgen Klopp's side had only collected five points from their previous five games and they need a win in Birmingham to keep the pressure on the Gunners and Manchester City.
The Villans will be looking to bounce back from the 1-0 defeat to Brighton at the Amex on May 5 which halted a four-match unbeaten run.
However, Villa are favourites to clinch the final UEFA Champions League berth as they're still seven points clear of Spurs, who have a game in hand but with a vastly inferior goal difference.
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In team news, the hosts could welcome back Emiliano Martinez (thigh), Youri Tielemans (groin) and Nicolo Zaniolo, but they remain without Boubacar Kamara, Emiliano Buendia, Tyrone Mings (all knee), Jacob Ramsey (ankle) and Morgan Rogers (thigh). The visitors have just two injuries to contend with as Joel Matip (knee) and Thiago Alcantara (thigh) are unavailable, while Diogo Jota (groin) could come back into contention.
Villa head coach Unai Emery feels it is important to reflect on a fine season they're having and has urged his players to finish strongly.
"We have to try to understand our progress and our progression. Always I'm trying to learn with the players, with the club and try to use my experiences with them," Emery said.
"We're doing a very good season, enjoying Europe for the first time in a long time, we're in a [Europa Conference League] semi-final, sometimes we're making some mistakes and losing.
"We have to think about the circumstances we have. Today we're a little disappointed, a little bit frustrated but we have to keep balance, try to rest and be strong on Thursday, next Monday and against Crystal Palace."
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Klopp was pleased with the attacking aspect of their game against Spurs, having seen the Merseyside giants race into a 4-0 lead before conceding two goals in the final 18 minutes.
"We are outstanding until we are not," the German told Sky Sports. "It was a really good game. Tottenham can put pressure on Aston Villa again for the Champions League.
"In high-performance things, you need a spark. I would say three points is enough and the boys thought that ... I was happy with the performance. We were good in pretty much all areas offensively.
"The passes were good. So many things were good. We stayed calm. As long as they (Tottenham) don't break the lines then it's fine, let them pass. I liked our game a lot. The goals were outstanding."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Aston Villa wins - 0
Liverpool wins - 4
Draws - 1
Premier League Matchday 37 fixtures:
Saturday, May 11
13h30: Fulham v Manchester City
16h00: Bournemouth v Brentford
16h00: Everton v Sheffield United
16h00: Newcastle United v Brighton & Hove Albion
16h00: Tottenham Hotspur v Burnley
16h00: West Ham United v Luton Town
16h00: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Crystal Palace
18h30: Nottingham Forest v Chelsea
Sunday, May 12
17h30: Manchester United v Arsenal
Monday, May 13
21h00: Aston Villa v Liverpool
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