Liverpool’s European destiny is in their own hands tonight. The official team news has dropped at Villa Park, where Arne Slot’s squad looks to put the finishing touches on their Premier League campaign and officially punch their ticket back to the Champions League.
Aston Villa stand in their way tonight as a formidable opponent to overcome, but with Unai Emery‘s men only winning once across their last five games in all competitions, and Villa not beating the Merseyside giants since 2020, Arne Slot‘s side will be hoping it’s their night in the Midlands.
It’s a massive night for Slot. Liverpool’s stuttering form has seen them flirt with a record-equaling 12 league defeats, a stat that would leave the Dutchman’s position in the Anfield dugout on shaky ground. With the pressure at boiling point, Slot desperately needs a Champions League-clinching victory to push back against the doubters.
Confirmed Liverpool XI vs Villa
Giorgi Mamardashvili retains his spot as Liverpool’s starting goalkeeper for tonight’s match, despite Alisson Becker being back in training.
The Georgian stopper will be aiming for an elusive Premier League clean sheet to prove that he belongs in the starting XI, ahead of the injury-prone Brazilian.
Making up the rest of the defensive ranks, Joe Gomez starts at right-back, with Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Milos Kerkez also present in the back four.
Van Dijk breaks a Liverpool record tonight by starting, with the trusty titan present for 4761 minutes of football for the reigning Premier League champions across all competitions this season.
This is the most by any outfield player since Jamie Carragher during the 2007-08 campaign, when he lined up for a staggering 4789 minutes for the Reds.
This is the exact same back five that featured against Chelsea, with another fluke free-kick, like the Enzo Fernandez leveller at Anfield, hopefully not catching them out.
Moving into the middle of the park, Slot persists with the duo of Gravenberch and Mac Allister as his holding anchors, providing the platform for Curtis Jones to operate ahead of them.
With talk in the media about Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson potentially catching the eye this summer on Liverpool’s shopping list, both the Dutchman and his ex-Brighton and Hove Albion teammate will be hoping they can put in impressive showings tonight, to show the powers that be at Liverpool that there is no need for a makeover in the midfield department.
With Mohamed Salah only fit for the bench, Arne Slot has been forced into a major reshuffle of his attacking ranks.
Dominik Szoboszlai is handed an unconventional role on the left flank, lining up opposite teenage sensation Rio Ngumoha on the right, with both tasked with providing the service for Cody Gakpo through the middle.
The Reds are notably thin on senior stars tonight, with Alexander Isak, Jeremie Frimpong, and Alisson all missing from the matchday squad. Frimpong’s absence is attributed to a slight knock, though the bench is bolstered by the presence of Florian Wirtz, who remains a high-calibre option should Slot need to change the game.
This would have been a late body blow for the Reds, as Isak has a standout record when playing the Villans previously, with a blistering three goals collected across five clashes. He isn’t being risked, though, due to a season of constant injury issues, with a minor problem ruling him out at the last minute.
Slot does have a strong bench to select from tonight, despite the £125m striker being out with an injury, with Wirtz named among his substitutes.
The German playmaker has recovered from a stomach infection just in time to potentially feature against Emery’s hosts, with the former Bayer Leverkusen star completely missing against Chelsea due to illness.
James McConnell is also a surprise inclusion among the substitutes tonight, with this the first time the Reds youngster has been included in a matchday squad since April 2025.
Lastly, Mohamed Salah is further deemed fit enough for a return on the bench.
The Dutchman did say that the esteemed Reds servant would feature for a few minutes at Villa Park tonight, in his pre-match comments, with the 33-year-old just one game away now from waving goodbye to his beloved home for good, with Brentford Liverpool’s final day opponents at Anfield.
Aston Villa Xl : Martinez; Cash, Lindelof, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Tielemans, McGinn; Rogers, Watkins, Buendia
Subs: Bizot, Barkley, Garcia, Abraham, Sancho, Luiz, Maatsen, Bogarde, Bailey
Liverpool Xl: Mamardashvili, Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Jones, Szoboszlai, Nguhoma; Gakpo
Subs: Woodman, Robertson, Wirtz, Salah, Chiesa, Nyoni, McConnell, Wright, Ndiaye
