Aston Villa Versus Liverpool

Aston Villa host Liverpool at Villa Park next week in what promises to be an enthralling encounter. Liverpool have been on a blistering run of form of late but the fact that Aston Villa are at home means that they will hope to get at least a point from the game. The match is given further spice by the fact that Stuart Downing will be returning to his club of last season before his move from Villa Park to Anfield in the summer, meaning the immutable law of the ex could well come back to haunt Alex McLeish’s team. Villa have also been on a reasonably decent run of late, barring their defeat at home to Manchester United due to Phil Jones’s cushioned side-footed volley, but since Kenny Dalglish’s return to Liverpool, the Merseysiders have been paying fantastically well.

       

Much of this has been due to the form of their striking partnership, Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll. These two players were both purchased with the £50 million that Liverpool received from Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea in return for Fernando Torres’ services and the two strikers have provided a more than comparable goal threat between them. Luis Suarez has been tearing defences apart up and down the country with his nifty dribbling and low centre of gravity that mean he can frequently create more chances for himself with his direct running than would otherwise be supplied to him from teammates. Andy Carroll, on the other hand, has so far relied more on service from the wingers, when he can use his six foot six stature to climb higher than defenders and meet crosses with his forehead.

       

Villa have yet to full recover from the losses of Ashley Young and Stuart Downing in the summer. McLeish oversaw the purchase of Charles N’Zogbia within the first week of his arrival at the club, but the French International has yet to demonstrate the creativity necessary if he is going to replace the departed players in terms of assists and goals. Villa will be hoping that Darren Bent can continue the fine goal scoring run that he is currently on which has propelled him onto the forefront of Fabio Capello’s plans for England’s attempts to win Euro 2012 at the end of this season. The addition of Shay Given in goal has also meant that Villa finally have a keeper in whom they can really trust, but I would still be surprised if they are able to take anything from this match against Liverpool, despite the fact that they will be at home.

       

If you are looking for a cheap Birmingham hotel, then I would suggest that you investigate the possibilities open to you if you buy your tickets to the match at the same time as purchasing your accommodation. One place that definitely offers this kind of deal is Braintree hotel and there are also others situated around the city centre, so make sure that you have a look at the discounts that are available to you by booking on the internet.