Liverpool v Aston Villa betting picks & odds – EPL Matchweek 16

With the title race heating up in the English Premier League, all three points will be crucial for Liverpool when they host Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon at Anfield. BettingPlanet’s soccer expert presents his match analysis and best bets for one of the marquee matchups of EPL Matchweek 16 as Steven Gerrard returns to Anfield as manager of the opposition.

Liverpool v Aston Villa match preview

Liverpool have moved their way into second place on the EPL table following a late winner against Wolverhampton last week, with super-sub Divock Origi striking in the 94th minute. Having defeated AC Milan midweek in the UEFA Champions League, the Reds will be hopeful of a third win in a week when Villa come to Anfield. With only Roberto Firmino (hamstring) and Harvey Elliott (broken leg) missing through injury, Jurgen Klopp is set to have a near-full squad at his disposal as his side looks to heap the pressure on league leaders Manchester City.

Whilst all the plaudits are likely to go towards the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota for their scoring prowess, it is Liverpool’s defence that continually delivers the goods. Led by Virgil Van Dijk at the heart of the back four, the Merseysiders have the most clean sheets (9) in the EPL. With star goalkeeper Alisson back to full fitness and a stable line-up in general, Liverpool are deserving short-priced favourites for Saturday’s encounter.

Despite being a $12 chance with the top EPL betting sites, Aston Villa come into this encounter in fine form. Since Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard took the reins as manager, the Villans have won three of their past four matches, including a 2-1 win over Leicester last weekend. Despite going down 1-0 early, Villa managed to equalise quickly through an Ezri Konsa header in the 17th minute, before the centre-half netted a second in the 54th minute with another header from a corner.

With solid enough recent form, it may not be a complete blowout result like the head-to-head markets suggests it might be. However, having only kept one clean sheet since their 1-0 win against Manchester United on September 25, the Villa defence will need to be at its absolute best to keep the visitors in this clash.

Liverpool v Aston Villa EPL betting predictions

Half-time/full-time result: Liverpool/Liverpool

With a near fully fit squad to choose from, a win for Liverpool is a must as they sit just one point behind Manchester City on the EPL table. The Reds have led at half-time in eight of their past 10 EPL matches at Anfield, and considering the form Salah and Mane are in, we expect the Merseysiders will find the back of the net early on. With only -500 available in head-to-head markets, we had to find value somehow for a Liverpool win, so the half-time/full-time result market looks appealing here.

Anytime assist: Mohamed Salah

Not only is he a goalscoring machine, but the ‘Egyptian King’ has nine assists to his name in the EPL this season. With Mane and Jota alongside him, we expect Salah to set up one of his teammates on Saturday afternoon, and the +170 in the anytime assist market is super value. When these two teams met in April this year, it was Salah who helped Liverpool to a 2-1 win with a goal, but this time we expect to see an assist next to his name come the final whistle.