Aston Villa vs Liverpool Bet Builder Tips: Rio to run Villans ragged in 12/1 shot

Aston Villa are gearing up for next Wednesday's UEFA Europa League final against SC Freiburg, but before they fly out to Istanbul for arguably their biggest game this century, there's the small matter of a Premier League match against Liverpool to contend with at Villa Park on Friday (20:00 BST, Sky Sports Main Event).

Below are my Aston Villa vs Liverpool Bet Builder Tips for this fifth-vs-fourth clash, with both teams level on 59 points after 36 rounds of fixtures.

Alexander Isak (LIV) Anytime Goalscorer

Liverpool were dire in last Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Anfield, but one positive was the return to action of Alexander Isak, who had missed the 3-2 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford the previous weekend due to injury.

The 26-year-old was brought on in the 67th minute against Chelsea and looked sharp, something that hasn’t been said often of him this season.

Isak, who has only scored four goals in 22 appearances for the Reds since making a British transfer-record move from Newcastle United last summer, was on target in his last start, opening the scoring in a 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Anfield on 25 April, and 75% (three) of his strikes for the club have come in the Premier League (14 appearances, eight starts).

Liverpool’s number nine, who, earlier this week, was named in Sweden’s confirmed squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer, should start Friday’s game at Villa Park as he continues to build up his fitness.

It’s unlikely that Isak will last the full 90 minutes, but 60 or 70 minutes should be enough time for him to break down a Villa defence that hasn’t kept a clean sheet for five Premier League matches, shipping nine goals in that time.

Rio Ngumoha (LIV) 1+ Assists

Arne Slot’s decision to withdraw Liverpool’s teenage superstar, Rio Ngumoha, in the 67th minute last weekend drew boos from large swathes of the Anfield crowd, who were reliant on him to help the Reds conjure up a winner against the Blues.

The 17-year-old’s assist for Ryan Gravenberch in that stalemate was his first for the Liverpool first team, and he’ll be looking to build on that this Friday at Villa Park, where he should get the nod to start again.

With Isak back in the side, he’ll now have a natural goalscorer to pick out in the box, increasing his chances of grabbing another assist.

Ngumoha doesn’t appear fazed by Premier League full-backs, spelling trouble for Villa’s Matty Cash, or whoever lines up at right-back for the Villans.

Aston Villa vs Liverpool Odds

Dominik Szoboszlai (LIV) 1+ Shots on Target

Dominik Szoboszlai was unable to back up his goal at Old Trafford with a strike against Chelsea last weekend, but he still forced a save with one of his three shots against the Blues, making it 21 shots on target from 34 Premier League appearances this season (0.6 per 90, on average).

The 25-year-old scored against Villa in his first-ever game against them in September 2023, and while he’s failed to add to that strike in four subsequent appearances (two starts), he’s registered a shot on target in three, including two in November’s reverse meeting this season, won 2-0 by the Reds at Anfield, and one in last season’s corresponding fixture at Villa Park, which saw the sides play out a 2-2 draw.

Milos Kerkez (LIV) 2+ Tackles

With Andy Robertson making his Liverpool farewell against Brentford at Anfield next Sunday, I’m expecting the Scotland captain to be rested, at least from the start, at Villa Park, to keep him fresh for the Bees game, where he should start and be taken off to rapturous applause late on in proceedings.

So, Milos Kerkez is likely to start at left-back on Friday, and he looks a good bet to record at least two tackles, a feat he has managed in 10 of his 26 Premier League starts this season.

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