Aston Villa vs. Liverpool vs. Premier League 2023-24 Preview and Team News

| Monday, May 13 |
Premier League | Villa Park
20:00 GMT/15:00 EST

The 2023-24 season is, by all accounts, over for Liverpool Football Club. They will finish third and claim a League Cup title for Jürgen Klopp’s final season in charge at Anfield. Even if they win, they can’t catch Manchester City and Arsenal ahead of them now. Meanwhile, fourth-placed Aston Villa can’t close the gap on them.

All that’s left to play for, then, is pride. Pride and the chance to send Klopp off with another win or two; another good performance or two. Two more games for the fans to sing his name, which the traveling Kop will surely do for much of Monday night’s game under the lights at Birmingham’s Villa Park, before the Reds return home and prepare for the season finale against Wolverhampton next Sunday.

The game might not really matter then, not for the club or the players or the fans and certainly not from a Premier League table perspective. But it’s a chance to say goodbye before the last chance to say goodbye. For Klopp and the season, too, in a side that did far more for far longer than anyone expected before April arrived and the bottom fell out. There are still 180 minutes, plus or minus some stoppage time, to be played in the Jürgen Klopp era. After months, there will be 90 minutes left. Try to enjoy it for whatever it is while you still can.

provided Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Gomez; Elliott, Endo, Mac Allister; Salah, Núñez, Díaz

For Villa, on the other hand, Monday’s game could end up being hugely important to their chances of finishing fourth and earning a place in next season’s Champions League – although regardless of the result, it is possible to at least remain favorites. Villa are currently four points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham and a win against Liverpool would wrap things up for them mathematically.

Realistically though, with Spurs’ opponents set to face Manchester City on Tuesday in the penultimate game of the 2023-24 Premier League season, Villa’s current four-point buffer looks to be enough and they could well heading into the final week of Champions League football is assured even if they lose to Liverpool tomorrow night.

What the managers had to say

Unai Emery: “We are motivated and excited. We have to try and finish the season and it will be an amazing, amazing season if we achieve our goal (and finish in the top four).”

Jürgen Klopp: “To be honest, who gives a…”

The officials

Referee: Simon Hooper Assistants: Adrian Holmes and Tim Wood Fourth official: Tim Robinson COUSIN: Chris Kavanagh Assistant VAR: Mark Scholes

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