Player News :
Stuart Taylor will start in goal for Aston Villa, with David Bevan on the bench, as Thomas Sorensen is injured.
Nigel Reo-Coker is set to make his competitive debut and Marlon Harewood, is set to be on the bench as John Carew partners Gabriel Agbonlahor in attack.
Liverpool have no injury problems, leaving manager Rafael Benitez with plenty of selection dilemmas.
Fernando Torres seems sure to make his league debut up front with Dirk Kuyt, while Yossi Benayoun could also start.
Manager Quotes
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill:
"We could get turned over by Liverpool very easily.
"But the overall depth of the squad will be the most important issue and that's what we're addressing at the minute.
"The better quality of player that comes to the club, the better it is for everyone."
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez:
"If you want to be contenders then you have to score a lot more goals than we did.
"I am not thinking about Torres scoring 20 or more goals.
"What I would like would be to see is Voronin scoring 10 to 15 goals, Crouch, Kuyt and Torres all the same."
Match Facts :
Two of the seven remaining Premier League ever-presents go head-to-head.
Aston Villa, who ended last season as one of the 'form' teams, also got off to a storming start under new manager Martin O'Neill with three wins and six draws in a nine-match unbeaten run before that sequence was ended by Liverpool.
Liverpool have not won an opening Premier League fixture since defeating Aston Villa 0-1 at Villa Park on 18 August 2002.
A draw or better will see Liverpool become the fourth club to bag 1,000 Premier League points.
Key Player :
ASTON VILLA
New signing Nigel REO-COKER was shown more yellow cards than any other player in the Premier League last season when wearing the West Ham shirt (13).
Another new import from West Ham, Marlon HAREWOOD, needs one goal to total 100 in his league career (Nottingham Forest, Ipswich and West Ham).
Olof MELLBERG was the only player to have started every one of Villa's league matches last season.
If he plays:-
Patrik BERGER will be facing a former club. The Czech Republic international made nearly 200 appearances for Liverpool between August 1996 and June 2003 and scored 35 goals for them, of which 28 were in the Premier League.
LIVERPOOL
Peter CROUCH was Liverpool's leading scorer last season with 18.
CROUCH spent 18 months with Villa from March 2002, recording 43 appearances (37 in the Premier League) and scoring six League goals.
Dirk KUYT netted the club's highest number of Premier League goals (12).
Jermaine PENNANT made most appearances for the Reds (51).
Head 2 Head :
Aston Villa have claimed just four points from the last 27 available in home Premier League matches against Liverpool. They have not beaten them at Villa Park since Stan Collymore scored a brace in a 2-1 triumph on 28 February 1998.
Liverpool hold an 11 match unbeaten league record of seven wins and four draws over Villa - their last defeat being a 1-3 reverse at Anfield on 8 September 2001.
Home and away
League (inc PL): Villa 51 wins, Liverpool 77, Draws 36
Prem: Villa 8 wins, Liverpool 16, Draws 6
at Aston Villa only
League (inc PL): A Villa 37 wins, Liverpool 25, Draws 20
Prem: Villa 5 wins, Liverpool 6, Draws 4
My Prediction :
Aston Villa had record that they have a good result in the opening of the season, in otherwise Liverpool is always struggle in the first game of the season. The last time they win the first game of the season is 2002 and it's against Aston Villa.
After spending a lot of money to bring players such as Torres, Voronin, Benayoun. Liverpool play style will be more attacking than last season and i don't think Aston Villa defence is good enough to hold it especially that Sorensen is absent.
Asian Handicap :
1.880 Aston Villa(12) 1/2:0 Liverpool(11) 2.040
Pick : Liverpool
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