Liverpool travel to Aston Villa on Friday night knowing they’re only one more Premier League victory away from securing a spot in the Champions League for next season.
Indeed, Arne Slot‘s Reds cannot be caught if they collect an invaluable three points on the road at Villa Park.
If they were to lose on their travels, however, everything would be up for grabs heading into the final game of the season, with Unai Emery‘s hosts harbouring their own Champions League aspirations, which makes this a fascinating clash to take in.
Slot’s visitors will be praying that everything is tied up come the end of the clash at Villa Park, though, with poor recent results against Chelsea and Manchester United swiftly brushed under the carpet in the process.
Everything you need to know, ahead of the Friday night showdown in the West Midlands.
How to watch
The late kick-off on Friday night will be available for viewers to watch in the UK on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event, with the game getting underway at 8 pm.
The pre-match build-up begins at 7 pm on both channels.
Recent form
Aston Villa (Home side):
Much like Liverpool, who are prone to a blip here and there, Emery’s men haven’t been faultless across their last five matches in all competitions.
Indeed, heading into this showdown with the Merseyside giants, the Villans were made to settle for a 2-2 draw on the road at already relegated Burnley last time out.
They did manage to convincingly beat Nottingham Forest in Europa League action 4-0, though, the last time they played at their famous home ground, to seal a spot in the Europa League final.
But, this emphatic victory is the only win they’ve managed to collect across their last five matches, with their last win in the Premier League coming in April, as Sunderland came away from a breathless encounter at Villa Park empty-handed, as the Villans ran out slim 4-3 victors.
Liverpool (Away side):
For all of Liverpool’s noticeable difficulties this season, they are actually in a richer vein of form than their opponents, heading into this match at Villa Park.
Unlike Villa, who have only won one of their last five matches, Slot and Co. have two victories next to their name, as they beat Everton 2-1 and Crystal Palace 3-1 in quick succession.
Virgil van Dijk's goal was Liverpool’s sixth 90th-minute or later winner against Everton in the Premier League era — the most one side has against another in the competition’s history.
It will take more than a cherished derby triumph for Liverpool supporters to share Arne Slot’s… pic.twitter.com/OeSNA4pk8W
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) April 20, 2026
The reigning Premier League champions do head into this game off the back of two dire results to Manchester United and Chelsea, as the Reds lost 3-2 on their travels to Old Trafford, and then had to make do with an unsatisfactory point against the Blues, who remain winless in top-flight action under interim head coach Calum McFarlane.
Thankfully, when looking at the head-to-head results between Slot and Co, and Villa, Liverpool usually have a positive result up their sleeve when playing the West Midlands titans.
Head-to-head results
Staggeringly, Villa haven’t gotten the better of the Merseyside outfit since that infamous 7-2 victory against Jurgen Klopp’s men in 2020.
Since then, 11 contests have passed the Villans by without a single win being secured, with Liverpool winning a hefty 104 matches between the two teams, from 206 overall meetings.
Liverpool vs Aston Villa: Overall Head-to-Head:
Played Wins Draws Losses
206 104 43 59
With Emery also only ever winning one game as a manager when facing the Reds to date, which was a Europa League final victory over Klopp in 2016 when he was Sevilla boss, all the statistics are pointing in the direction of a Champions League securing victory for Slot’s team on Friday evening.
Liverpool has also been boosted by some positive developments in the injury department, with the likes of Alisson Becker and Mohamed Salah potentially featuring in some capacity.
Team news
Villa: Alysson (out), Amadou Onana (out), Boubacar Kamara (out), and Harvey Elliott (ineligible due to loan)
Liverpool: Hugo Ekitike (out), Wataru Endo (out), Giovanni Leoni (out) and Conor Bradley (out)
Predicted lineups
Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Douglas Luiz, Tielemans; McGinn, Barkley, Rogers; Watkins
Liverpool: (4-2-3-1): Mamardashvili; Jones, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Frimpong, Szoboszlai, Ngumoha; Isak
What has been said
Unai Emery (Villa):
Speaking in the pre-match build-up ahead of Villa’s clash with Slot’s men on Friday night, Emery took time out to congratulate his team’s efforts this season, as they have remained competitive inside the top-five positions in the Premier League, all while reaching the coveted Europa League final in Istanbul.
He said: “At the beginning of the season to be where we are now was, wow, a dream.
“Of course, we are ambitious and we don’t want to stop here.
“The next challenge is Friday against Liverpool, a huge challenge at Villa Park.
“Hopefully we can share this moment with our supporters and then the final in Istanbul.
“Always I want more but I also must accept how we are doing this season.”
Emery also poured cold water over any suggestion that his team would be priortising the final in Turkey over the Premier League match.
The Spaniard further stated: “I am so motivated, so excited for the match on Friday against Liverpool.”
Arne Slot (Liverpool):
Slot also spoke of his excitement for the clash ahead, with the Reds now in touching distance of a Champions League spot next season.
Despite Liverpool’s favourable track record against Villa, the Dutchman noted that this would be a “difficult” clash from the get-go.
He said: “Now Villa away doesn’t matter if you play it after a game in Europe or after a week of rest, because this will always be a difficult game.
“But we’ve dropped points in away games against teams where we usually don’t drop points and that has this season happened far too many times after playing in Europe.
“And that’s one of the reasons why we have not qualified yet for the Champions League.”
Slot also offered up some food for thought as to why Liverpool’s record on the road this season has been so hit and miss.
The under-pressure head coach stated: “First of all, the first challenge is to be fitter and more ready to play three days or sometimes two days after we’ve played in Europe. I think we’ve shown this season that we’ve progressed in that, so that’s already helpful.
“Second of all, indeed, we’ve had more than a few times in away games, not a good starting position, but after 70 or 80 minutes we were in a good place. But maybe that goes hand in hand.
“We’ve also dropped points quite a lot in the last phase of a game, which maybe also has to do with the amount of games we have to play. That’s not different to any other team but it’s been done by mainly the same players.”