Liverpool

After making 10 changes for the 3-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, Liverpool boss Arne Slot returns to his strongest side available.

Andy Robertson and Alexis Mac Allister are the only two players that started in midweek to stay in the side, while midfielder Ryan Gravenberch returns after an ankle injury.

Club-record signing Florian Wirtz is among the substitutes.

Liverpool XI: Mamardashvili, Robertson, Van Dijk, Konate, Bradley, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Gakpo, Salah, Ekitike

Substitutes: Woodman, Pecsi, Gomez, Kerkez, Endo, Nyoni, Wirtz, Chiesa, Ngumoha

Midfielder Emiliano Buendia misses out for Aston Villa with an ankle injury, while forward Harvey Elliott, on loan from Liverpool, is not allowed to play against his parent club.

Just the one change from the side that beat Manchester City on Sunday as Evann Guessand comes in for Buendia.

Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Digne, Torres, Konsa, Cash, Onana, Kamara, McGinn, Rogers, Guessand, Watkins

Substitutes: Bizot, Lindelof, Mings, Bogarde, Maatsen, Barkley, Malen, Sancho, Broggio

There are seven games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Brighton v Leeds

• Burnley v Arsenal - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Crystal Palace v Brentford

• Fulham v Wolves

• Nottingham Forest v Manchester United - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Tottenham v Chelsea (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Liverpool v Aston Villa (20:00)

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Burnley v Arsenal" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Tottenham v Chelsea", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Liverpool boss Arne Slot made a lot of changes for Wednesday's Carabao Cup defeat by Crystal Palace, but it still felt like another damaging defeat - their sixth in the past seven games.

Slot's side play Real Madrid and Manchester City after this, so they desperately need to end this slump in form before it gets any worse.

He rested players against Palace for this weekend, so he knows how important it is. But, on current form, Aston Villa are favourites because they have won their past four league games and are on a roll.

Looking at both teams over the past few weeks, you would expect Villa to get something here - but I need to use all of my knowledge to get the better of AI..

So I'm going to base my prediction on something that I thought about when I was a player: history.

Villa have taken only one point from their past seven visits to Anfield and have only won one of their past 15 league games against Liverpool, although that was a 7-2 success in October 2020.

I had my bogey teams - most of them felt like that by the end, to be honest - and I don't think AI will understand that part of the game.

So I'm going with Liverpool to win, with Mohamed Salah getting a hat-trick.

Sutton's prediction: 3-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Jordan Butler
BBC Sport journalist

An out-of-sorts Liverpool entertain an in-form Aston Villa with the two clubs only separated by goal difference in the Premier League table. BBC Sport explores some of the key themes ahead of Saturday night's clash at Anfield.

Liverpool's unprecedented loss of form

The defending champions' drop-off in league form is unprecedented, with the Reds the first team in English top-flight history to win their opening five matches and lose their next four.

Arne Slot's side suffered only four Premier League defeats in the entirety of last season and two of those came after they had already clinched the title.

This weekend they could lose five league matches in a row for the first time since September 1953.

A midweek League Cup loss to Crystal Palace lowered the tone at Anfield even further, although Slot decided to name eight teenagers in his matchday squad and rest the majority of his preferred Premier League team.

Strangely, the visit of Aston Villa might be the necessary tonic for Slot's ailing side. Liverpool have won six of their last seven league clashes with Villa at Anfield, drawing the other. They've also lost just once to the Midlands side in 15 Premier League meetings, drawing three and winning 11.

Villa's red-hot form

Aston Villa are one of just two Premier League teams on a current run of four consecutive victories in the competition, along with league leaders Arsenal.

The upturn in Villa's form is a complete contrast to their opponents and if Unai Emery's side take all three points then they would become just the second side in top-flight history to fail to win any of their first five games and then triumph in the next five in a row, following Preston North End in 1936.

A key protagonist in Villa's mini mid-season revival has been right-back Matty Cash and the 28-year old has signed a new contract at the club until 2029.

The Polish international scored the only goal of the game against Manchester City last Sunday and is one of only four players to score twice from outside the box in the Premier League this season, along with Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, Brighton striker Danny Welbeck and Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo.

"To be honest, I've always had a good shot, I've just never really shown it in games," Cash said last weekend. "This season it seems to be going my way and every time I get the ball on the edge of the box, I've got confidence and feel like I'm going to hit the target a lot of the time."

However, history is against the visitors this weekend. Not only is their recent record against Liverpool abysmal, but the Villans have also lost their past 11 games against the defending Premier League champions, conceding 35 times in the process.

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Aston Villa at (20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Slot confirmed Ryan Gravenberch trained yesterday, is available for Saturday, and a decision will be made if he is able to start the match.

• Alexander Isak and Curtis Jones have not trained and Slot is "99.9% sure they will not be in the squad".

• Asked what his side have been missing in their recent run of defeats, Slot said: "We miss nothing. I am completely happy with the team and all the quality we have. I am also completely convinced by the strategy and policy we have. That also makes the issue not all of them have had a proper pre-season or have been injured."

• More on injuries in the camp: "I am a firm believer that 21, 22 players is enough, but you have to keep them fit like we did last season. We are struggling a bit more to keep them fit for obvious reasons. No excuses for our results but we have had to play a lot of away games with only two days rest in between."

• Slot was asked about rumoured potential discussion around a contract renewal for him: "This was the last question I was expecting! My focus has to be on getting Liverpool back to winning ways. Contract talks even if they are there - we never speak about them here. Let's start by winning again."

• On a lack of clean sheets: "I have won games in the past - City away - when I went away from my beliefs, so I am more than open to adapt to certain situations. I don't think the story is we concede chance after chance after chance. It is absolutely not like this. I don't see a reason to change the style totally but we need to do better."

• On Villa, and their good form after a poor start: "If you don't win at the beginning people say it's not the same team and you win and then it's positive again. With us it's the opposite. Most are around the same points apart from Arsenal so it says the Premier League is tough. You can see the signs of Villa the playing style is really good. Villa didn't make a habit of losing."

• Slot is approaching a key week with optimism: "There are a lot of positives to go into this week. The quality of the players, the amount of chances we are creating is still enough to compete for the positions we want to compete for."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Jordan Chamberlain
Fan writer

There are two good things that can happen in the League Cup. You either win the thing, or lose early enough for it to not unnecessarily fill up your schedule.

Liverpool achieved the latter against Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

Last season, they lost in the final having completely run out of energy from the exhausting schedule, one that ridiculously features two-legged League Cup semi-finals.

Thankfully, the Reds were far enough ahead in the Premier League that it did not matter, but we ran out of gas in Europe and in truth, crawled over the line domestically.

Liverpool have loads of injuries. Alisson, Gio Leoni, Jeremie Frimpong, Curtis Jones, Alexander Isak and Ryan Gravenberch were all unavailable at the weekend. Youngsters who would have played the League Cup game in Jayden Danns and Stefan Bajcetic are also out. Perhaps Arne Slot would have picked a better team if we were not in an injury crisis nobody has recognised.

Do I blame Slot for the team he picked? Absolutely not. In two weeks, nobody will remember it. The side he picked suggests he did not really want to to win the game anyway. In the greater scheme of things, I have no issue with this - provided Liverpool beat Aston Villa on Saturday.

This is the one that matters. Then Real Madrid and Manchester City. If we get three negative results in the next week, then Slot's job will be genuinely under threat.

But to suggest he should lose his job on the back of a match he fielded players many fans have not heard of is ludicrous. Slot's been very poor and has made some horrible tactical choices this season that have restricted his best players and left us wide open. We have also had some bad luck and missed too many chances.

It is football. He deserves time to turn it around and I back him to do so.

Find more from Jordan Chamberlain at Empire of the Kop, external

This - it seems - is the season of the set piece.

The Premier League debates are more about dead balls than ever before, with some sides enjoying immense success from corner kicks, throw ins or well-worked free-kicks.

What fine timing then for BBC Sport to launch a column with former manager Tony Pulis, a man who seemed to finely extract the fine margins from the game.

You can take in Tony's column on set pieces here

Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich have entered into talks to sign 19-year-old Feyenoord and Netherlands Under-21 full-back Givairo Read, who is also a target of several Premier League clubs including Liverpool. (Sky Sports - in German), external

Chelsea have emerged as favourites to sign 20-year-old Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz, after tabling an exciting proposal for the Turkey international, but Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United are keen as well. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer news? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Liverpool boss Arne Slot and if it is too soon to talk about his job being under threat after six defeats in seven matches, or if change should not be ruled out.

Here are some of your comments:

Paschal: Just a lull Liverpool are going through. Slot will turn it around. Just a matter of putting the players in positions they are comfortable and happy to play in. Time to put Joe Gomez at right-back and give him a chance. Let the new players have time to settle in. Patience is needed - it will come right.

James: If Slot can't turn things around quickly then his position does need consideration. You can't make the financial commitment Liverpool have made and not see results. People continually mention transition and bedding in, but top players should hit the ground running - likewise managers.

Karl: He should be given more time. We aren't a knee-jerk reaction team. Everyone is still dealing with the loss of Diogo Jota and then add so many new players into the mix. He is still the right man for the job.

Richard: The problem is Slot won the Premier League with Jurgen Klopp's team. This was amazing. However, now he has spent hundreds of millions of pounds to improve and put his stamp on the team and club, it is all going wrong. When you watch him on the touchline, he doesn't seem to know how to fix things when they go wrong. We have stopped pressing and terrorising opponents. For some reason, we now play at training-game pace, and only really bring the hammer in the last 15 minutes or so when we're behind and chasing the game. This is not Liverpool at all.

Paul: To suggest Slot is in trouble would be akin to saying last season never happened! We are not, and never have been, a 'sacking club'. We leave desperation to others. The guy has earned a year at least to sort this new team out. The talent is clearly there, but they haven't clicked yet. Time, ladies and gentlemen, please.

Ryan: Way too soon to be talking about getting rid of the manager. Players need time to settle. Before we signed them they were the envy of the big sides. We don't turn into a bad team overnight, but Slot doesn't help himself with some of his decisions - and that is what he can control. Liverpool operate differently and I can't see us cutting Slot and his staff so soon. However, results are what count, ultimately, and if things don't improve - and quickly - then we all know how the road ends. The players have to step up too, by the way - it shouldn't all be on the manager. Some have been way below an acceptable standard for Liverpool.

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool fan Abigail Rudkin said "it was so disappointing" to see the team sheet on Wednesday, adding that Arne Slot "sacrificed" the Carabao Cup to rest key players.

Fans have criticised the Liverpool boss' decision to make so many changes for the Crystal Palace tie when they had already lost five of their past six matches and were seven points adrift of Arsenal in the league before Wednesday's 3-0 home defeat.

Speaking to BBC Sport, she said: "Walking to the game, me and my dad got the teamsheet and we were like, 'he's sacrificed this'. I understand we are losing games at the moment but you need to try to get a winning mentality back.

"You at least think on the bench you'll have a Mo Salah there, or someone like that who could change the game - maybe [Hugo] Ekitike - but he didn't do that.

"We are losing patience. I think there are two different sides of the fanbase at the minute.

"There are those on social media that are calling on him to lose his job, and there are the people I see at the ground, like me, who are losing patience going to these games and not enjoying it as much with losing the games, but they also want to stay patient with him because we are very grateful to him for what we've had from last season when we thought it would all fall apart without Jurgen Klopp.

"You can sense tension between everyone and the fans are disagreeing a bit more now. Inside the ground, people were leaving a bit earlier than I usually see. There were moans and groans around."

Liverpool host Aston Villa on Saturday, before facing Real Madrid and Manchester City in the Champions League and Premier League respectively.

"If we don't win that game [against Aston Villa], even if it's a draw, it's not enough," added Rudkin. "The title race will be over by that point.

"That's why [the Palace game] felt like we needed that win for mentality. We needed to get a boost, a little bit of confidence within the team.

"But now you're going on the back of six defeats out of seven and it brings anxiety to the fans in the ground. It's a worrying time to be a Liverpool fan."

Image source, Getty Images

Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock says the death of Diogo Jota "will weigh really heavy" on some of the players this season because "they are human beings" as well as footballers.

Reflecting on some of the reasons why the Reds are not at their best, he told BBC Radio 5 Live on Wednesday: "You've got a team that's mourning in that changing room. How do the new players integrate into that? It's a horrible situation.

"It has to have an effect. They are human beings.

"One thing I notice every time I come to Anfield or watch Liverpool play is the Diogo Jota song after 20 minutes goes up and there is a 5-10 min spell where the tempo drops completely.

"The players are hearing that song and your mind will wander in that moment to one of their friends and close colleagues. In the changing room his locker is still there, so you're sat with a constant reminder of that person you've lost and that can't be easy.

"Some people will be able to put that to one side but for some it will weigh really heavy on their shoulders."

Earlier this month, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk addressed the fact that the club was mourning Jota, who died in a car crash in July.

"It was always going to be a tough season" he said after a 2-1 defeat by Chelsea on 4 October.

"Nobody said that it was going to be plain sailing whatsoever.

"It was always going to be ups and downs for multiple reasons that we shouldn't forget, and all we have to do is stick together."

We asked our BBC Sport fan writer Josh Sexton to give his take on what Warnock said...

Josh Sexton
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool have not been good enough so far this season and nobody within the club will be accepting any excuses as they look to turn this form around.

There are a multitude of reasons as to why form has been suffering, including key players being out of form, a few players struggling for fitness, or suffering from injury issues, and a lack of continuity from last season.

A lot of those continuity issues stem from the business done in the summer, most of which was necessary for one reason or another and I don't think many Liverpool fans would look back and say they regret the departures of any players besides possibly Luis Diaz and the profile of the player that Trent Alexander-Arnold is - the emotion attached to that exit causes this supporter to not miss the man himself as such.

The variable within all of this is that one player we lost in the summer was in the most tragic of circumstances very unexpectedly, and there are more reasons than just footballing ones why that loss is absolutely immeasurable.

We saw in the emotions of Mohamed Salah after Liverpool's first game against Bournemouth at Anfield how much it has had an impact on the players, and that will also extend to the lads who didn't play with Diogo Jota who have had to integrate into a dressing room that has been broken by the loss of a close friend.

The tributes from within the club and from the supporters serve as a constant celebration of the magnificent human being that we were lucky enough to call one of our own, but of course they can also stir up feelings of grief and loss which can't be easy to perform through at an elite level.

And yet that is exactly what Liverpool have to do with the target on their back as Premier League champions. I've not noticed any drop in heads or performance per se when those vocal tributes have been paid (the song the fans sing in Jota's memory actually started later than 20 minutes against Manchester United as Cody Gakpo went through on goal and hit the post).

It will no doubt be having a general impact, but we would all do well to remember everybody has their own grieving process and give each other the leeway to carry on despite such an unspeakable tragedy.

Find more from Josh Sexton on outlets including The Anfield Wrap, external

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool's poor run of form has prompted plenty of discussion among fans, with questions beginning to surface about Arne Slot and his future at Anfield.

The Reds have lost six of their past seven matches, culminating in the manager making 10 changes as they crashed out of the Carabao Cup 3-0 at home to Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

Liverpool host Aston Villa on Saturday, before Real Madrid visit Anfield in the Champions League on Tuesday and then it is the trip to Manchester City before the next international break.

"That is going to be a big week for us, everyone and the club. We need as many players available as we can. You can see with the line-up I had to make," Slot said post-match on Wednesday.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast, fan Josh Sexton - who contributes to The Anfield Wrap - said: "We are in an age of modern football where pressure does ramp up on managers.

"Liverpool have often not tended to be a part of that, but we have had managers like Jurgen Klopp who've been lucky in lots of regards.

"So, it'll be interesting to see. I wouldn't like to see because I hope we can win games and not be in that scenario, but I'll be interested to see if that did happen, where Liverpool would end up in that position where there is genuine consideration about Slot's future.

"I'd like to think that he's earned himself at least a year of grace by winning the league last season."

Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock has said the latest defeat "keeps the pressure on" Slot and means "so many more questions will be asked of him", while ex-Reds midfielder Dietmar Hamann said of the Dutchman: "Results have to improve otherwise the air will become thinner for him."

So, what do you think? Is it too soon to talk about Slot's job being under threat, or is this a genuine moment of reckoning? And how big are the next three games to shaping the narrative around Liverpool and their manager?

Get in touch with your views here

Image source, Getty Images

Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock says "only time will tell" whether Arne Slot's decision to rest key players in the Carabao Cup defeat by Crystal Palace was the right one.

Slot named three teenagers in his starting line-up and a further five among his substitutes as he made 10 changes from the team beaten 3-2 at Brentford on Saturday.

"If they beat Aston Villa and Real Madrid and start to turn a corner then yes it was the right choice," said Warnock on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "If they don't and things continue, then Liverpool fans will get a little bit disgruntled and start to ask questions about why so many changes.

"Slot said before the game they rotate in this competition, but when you need a victory, this felt like the ideal time to try to get it.

"I'm not sure this will affect them too much but it keeps the pressure on Slot. There will be so many more questions asked of him. He will hope the performance on Saturday justifies what he has done for this game.

"Confidence is huge in football and Liverpool players are second guessing everything that they do.

"Slot has got to turn things around very quickly but it is not all on the manager. The players have to do more.

"His job as manager is to inspire the players and give them a gameplan they can follow through."

Listen to the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds

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Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann says the Reds' Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Crystal Palace was "pretty much expected" after Arne Slot's starting XI was announced.

Slot named three teenagers in his starting line-up and a further five among his substitutes as he made 10 changes from the team that was beaten 3-2 at Brentford on Saturday.

"We know that Crystal Palace have a very good team under Oliver Glasner. I don't think Slot was too bothered about the defeat because I think he's got other things on his mind at the moment," Hamann told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.

"Their form in the league is not good. They have to make sure they don't fall too far behind by Christmas that they can't win the league this season and defend it.

"After we saw the team, we pretty much expected what was going to happen and I wouldn't be too bothered about the result.

"Slot's got three massive games ahead of him now with Aston Villa, Real Madrid and Manchester City. They probably can't afford to lose any of the three so he probably thought he'd give the main players a few days off.

"Results have to improve otherwise the air will become thinner for him. People talk about his position now, which nobody would have thought would happen at the start of the season after being brilliant last season.

"He knows he needs results now.

"They spent £400m over the summer. The players who were there last season will be thinking: 'We didn't spend that money last season and we were better.'

"That is always a danger because the new players who come in have to perform - and quickly.

"Apart from [Hugo] Ekitike, none have done OK so far and I think that's a big problem."

Listen to the full discussion from 08:22 GMT on BBC Sounds

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Although Liverpool's starting 11 against Crystal Palace on Wednesday included 17-year-old winger Rio Ngumoha and 18-year-old midfielders Trey Nyoni and Kieran Morrison, the line-up also included seven full internationals.

Slot opted for three central defenders, with Scotland's Andy Robertson on the left, England's Joe Gomez in the middle and Japan's Wataru Endo on the right.

Both full-backs have also represented their country too, with left-back Milos Kerkez a regular for Hungary, while Calvin Ramsay has played for Scotland.

Palace boss Oliver Glasner felt it was "disrespectful" to suggest Liverpool had fielded a weakened team and believed his side deserved all the credit.

"It was Arne Slot's decision and we never care what other teams are doing," said the Eagles boss. "I've seen Joe Gomez play for England, win the Champions League, seen Wataru Endo I don't know how many games for Japan.

"I've seen Alexis Mac Allister, he won the World Cup as a starter, Kerkez moved for £40m, [Federico] Chiesa plays for the [Italy] national team, Ngumoha has shown he can score goals in the Premier League.

"It was still a good team and everyone is a member of the Liverpool squad. I was never good enough to be in the Liverpool squad. Maybe it was not the strongest team, but still a very good Liverpool side."

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Liverpool crashed out of the Carabao Cup against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.

Here are some of your replies:

Jason: Time for Arne Slot to admit he doesn't know what to do. Some great energy from the youngsters in the first half, but mistakes from key players and a lack of purpose and strategy on the field are quickly making Liverpool a laughing stock. Guaranteed no cups this season and the odds are shortening on relegation.

Neil: What was that abysmal performance? An unthinkable starting XI with no first-team substitutes. I was watching Newcastle v Spurs on TV and their fans were laughing at us at half-time! I don't think Slot's unsackable but, knowing Liverpool, they will put all the big guns back in on Saturday against Aston Villa. Milos Kerkez is a rabbit in the headlights and not worth the money. I'm very worried.

Marilyn: This is all very sad. Where has our beautiful, fast-attacking team gone? So many back passes and no inventive ideas - just the same horrid football they played against Brentford, although a totally different line-up. What are you going to do, Arne?

Matthew: For all the criticism that Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak have got for their performances compared with their price tags, it is Kerkez who I think hasn't been good enough. He was bought to be our new left-back but isn't showing enough experience at all.

Liz: Form is temporary, class is permanent. Liverpool have the class players, so we will be back!

Jan: Why do so much damage to our younger players? It is unfair when they are starting out. We are clearly not going to perform in the league, so a strengthened team with seniors on the bench was the way to go. Instead, the 'LFC is failing' narrative will gather momentum. This was an important game to show strength and depth, not give victory away the minute the teamsheet was published.

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Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock was not impressed with Arne Slot's post-match interview on Wednesday in which he cited the struggles of fixture congestion for him rotating his squad so heavily against Crystal Palace.

"Our squad is probably not as big as people think it is," said Slot. "Against Brentford it was two days after we played Eintracht Frankfurt away and I saw a team that is struggling to play three games in seven days.

"It's a new challenge to play in the Premier League and Champions League, three games in seven days," he added.

"Arne Slot has almost admitted there that the squad is not strong enough," said Warnock on BBC Radio 5 Live. "It was very much deflecting and making excuses.

"You're a team in the Champions League, yet you're moaning that you're playing a game two days later. You know that is going to happen. I felt there were a lot of excuses in there. You know your squad depth isn't the best, then your business hasn't been good enough in the summer.

"It is as simple as that. I know players get injuries along the way, but build a squad capable of dealing with it.

"He sounded down and like he didn't have the answers people were looking for."

Listen on BBC Sounds

The Saudi Pro League's offer for Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah remains on the table. (TBR Football), external

Want more transfer news? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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