Follow LIVE updates from Liverpool’s clash against Aston Villa in the Premier League on Boxing Day.
Liverpool starting XI
LFC XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson, Thiago; Salah, Nunez, Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Another vote in the Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain camp
I’d go with Oxlade-Chamberlain today. He did enough against City to merit a start on the left.
Plenty of changes from midweek expected
Plenty of musings over what today’s team might be. I’m expecting Van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Alisson and Henderson to all return but that is just a hunch at this stage. We’ll have the official team news in just under half an hour, of course.
A huge evening for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
I suspect we will see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain start on the left side of the forward line later this evening following injuries to Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and more recently Roberto Firmino.
Fabio Carvalho had appeared to be ahead of the 29-year-old midfielder earlier in the month as he began the Reds’ mid-season defeat to Lyon in Dubai. But after his challenging 45-minute outing at the Etihad on Thursday, it seems that Oxlade-Chamberlain is in a position to start, with Nunez continuing to be deployed down the middle.
On Friday Jurgen Klopp did in fact reveal that he had planned to start Oxlade-Chamberlain in the Carabao Cup defeat to Manchester City however a bout of illness meant he was only fit enough for a place on the substitutes’ bench.
Ian Doyle is in the building
A very slightly chilly welcome to Villa Park for the latest game in Liverpool’s season.
Yes, it’s the return of the Premier League and it’s Aston Villa.
And it’s Boxing Day.
Are you excited? Are you really, really excited? You should be.
Not long until the Premier League anthem is heard once again…
View from the opposition: Unai Emery
“We have used this time to work, to be together. We travelled to Dubai and have worked on tactical issues, offensively and defensively.
“The results of the friendly matches we played wasn’t important, but I don’t like to lose. What’s important is now and how we can use everything we did in this period.
“On Monday, I will expect our best performance collectively and individually.
“It will be amazing to connect with our fans again, and we have to connect on the pitch as well with our new style. I want to show our supporters what we can achieve.”
Plenty of happy memories at Villa Park
If we are able to collectively overlook the 7-2 defeat in October 2020 and the 5-0 League Cup defeat the previous year, Villa Park has been a fine ground for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp in recent years. Of course, the standout memory is the late, late victory in November 2019 as goals from Andy Robertson and Sadio Mane handed the Reds a momentous three points in the title race.
In fact, Liverpool have won at Villa Park more times (15) than they have at any other ground in the Premier League era.
