Image copyright: Getty Images
2021/22 English Premier League
Matchday 16
Liverpool v Aston Villa
Anfield
Liverpool, England
Saturday, 11 December 2021
Kick-off is at 17h00
Liverpool will continue their title push when they host Aston Villa in an
English Premier League clash at Anfield on December 11.
The 2019/20 champions moved up to second place in the table courtesy of their dramatic 1-0 victory at Wolves on December 4 when Divock Origi scored a 94th-minute winner.
A fourth successive win saw them remain on the heels of Manchester City, who occupy top spot by a single point, with Chelsea only one behind the Reds in third position.
Origi has managed just three league appearances this season - all from the bench - and Klopp praised the striker's mentality after he notched another important goal for the Merseyside giants.
Image copyright: Getty Images
"He is a very positive person, that's for sure, and he is incredibly talented, that's just how it is," the German said.
"He can shoot with right and left; his technical level is incredible; he's really, really, really quick; he is in the air, how we all know, a monster as well. He is a really interesting package.
"There are worse things than being not a constant starter for Liverpool FC, I tell you. It's really nice to be part of this squad, really nice to be part of this team. It's all good but it's nice that he has that skill and that he used it at the weekend."
Villa head coach Steven Gerrard returns to Anfield for the first time since calling time on his Liverpool career in 2015.
The 41-year-old, who came up through the youth ranks and went to make 701 appearances for the Reds in all competitions, has made an impressive start at the helm for the Villans.
Gerrard kicked off his tenure with a 2-0 success over Brighton & Hove Albion, while also recording wins against Crystal Palace (2-1) and Leicester City (2-1) - the only blip being a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City.
Image copyright: Getty Images
The West Midlands outfit find themselves in the top half of the table on 19 points, nine clear of the relegation zone, and Gerrard has set his sights on the European places.
"I don't want us to be a team that looks back and feels sorry for ourselves," he said. "It's important that we're positive and move forward.
"This [beating Leicester] is a huge win; it puts us into the top 10 and now we really want to look forward. We've got Wolves and Brighton in our sights and we want to keep pushing forward."
Liverpool ran out 2-1 victors in the corresponding fixture last term, having been thrashed 7-2 at Villa Park earlier in the campaign.
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Liverpool - 4
Aston Villa - 1
Draws - 0
Bet on the English Premier League with Betway
Go mobile with the Betway sports betting app and you can bet on EPL games and many other soccer leagues locally and internationally.
For all the latest sports news, betting tips and promotions follow
Betway on
Facebook,
Twitter,
Instagram and
YouTube. Start playing on the go and download the
Betway App.