PREMIER LEAGUE FRIDAY: The Striker previews ASTON VILLA v LIVERPOOL with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
ASTON VILLA V LIVERPOOL
8pm We have Friday Night Football from the Premier League to kick off the weekend on Betdaq Betting Exchange! Aston Villa host Liverpool at Villa Park in what should be a very interesting market. Obviously Aston Villa have the Europa League Final next Wednesday night, so this is clearly a fixture that might move heavily on the team news. On one hand, it would be a surprise if Unai Emery named a very strong XI – surely he will have two eyes firmly on Wednesday night. However, Aston Villa only have a four point cushion on Bournemouth in sixth so they can’t really afford to take their foot fully off the gas here. What Emery decides to do with his XI will be fascinating!
With the Final clearly in everyone’s mind, Liverpool come into the game as the favourites at 2.32 with Aston Villa 3.1 and the draw is 4.0 at the time of writing. The pressure on Arne Slot has been building for weeks now, and the Dutchman finds himself in an increasingly uncomfortable position with rumours this week of Xabi Alonso being a Liverpool target. It has been a hugely disappointing season for the defending Premier League champions, and they come into this game level on points with Aston Villa so that four point cushion also applies to them for Champions League football. It’s been hard to read Liverpool fans – they are usually incredibly patient with managers but it feels like they want to get on Slot’s back in recent weeks. The 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford last weekend recently, having fought back from 2-0 down was exactly the kind of thing that’s been happening them all season.
This will be a hard game to have a very strong opinion on before seeing team news. I would suggest though that it will be an excellent chance for Liverpool to claim three points. Unai Emery’s side have been on a remarkable European journey, and quite frankly, that Final is the only thing that matters to anyone connected with the club right now. You’d have to expect a reasonably weak starting XI compared to normal – at 2.32 on Liverpool you could say that is already priced in though. Liverpool’s average xG created of 1.71 is the third best attacking figure in the entire Premier League, and their xG conceded of 1.30 is the fourth best defensive figure – so the underlying quality is clearly there, even if the results haven’t reflected it at times for Slot.
Villa have clearly over-performed this season to get into the Champions League spots – so much has been made of that the Villa fans have been calling Emery the “xG killer!” Villa’s average xG created of 1.47 is a perfectly decent mid-table figure, and their xG conceded of 1.44 is similarly mid-table. The xG figures reflect a season where Villa have been consistent without being spectacular in the Premier League, perhaps they have benefitted from the likes of Chelsea being so poor, and of course Spurs have turned into a relegation side rather than a Champions League side! The key question here is just how much Villa rotate; the 2.32 on Liverpool is obviously a little shorter than usual given the circumstances, but I’d actually have them a little shorter. Villa were miles off the pace here against Spurs in between the Semi-Final against Nottingham Forest, and while I’m keen to keep stakes low, Liverpool can take full advantage.
The Striker Says:
One point win Liverpool to beat Aston Villa at 2.32 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/PLAsLi
