Daniel Sturridge
Daniel Sturridge recently returned to action for Liverpool Getty Images

Aston Villa host Liverpool at Villa Park in a game that can have massive repercussions at the bottom of the table. The Villans need a run of wins to get themselves out of the bottom of the league table and a Liverpool side, shot on confidence, may be an opportunity for them to move up the ladder.

Where to watch live

Kick-off is set for 2.05pm GMT. Live coverage of the game is available on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 1 HD.

Overview

Villa have won two and lost only one of their last five games in the league, after going on an infamous 19 game streak without a win. Their turnaround in recent weeks has given manager Remi Garde hope that they can pull off a Leicester from last season, but need to continue winning on a consistent basis. Villa are currently eight points from relegation, but a win here will take them to within five points of nearest rivals Norwich City, who drew against West Ham United on 13 February.

Avoiding a defeat against Liverpool will take their unbeaten run to five, but with only 13 games left in the season, a draw is unlikely to be a good result at this point, with games against the top four lined up later in the calendar. Garde is hopeful of Villa's prospects and has promised to stay at the club should they be relegated, but only if he is given enough funds to invest in the summer.

Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp has Daniel Sturridge back in the squad after the striker missed 18 months due to injury. The former Borussia Dortmund manager has already cited reservations over his ability to stay fit, but with his presence shall give them some added impetus up front, especially with Klopp not keeping faith in Christian Benteke.

They come into the game on the back of a 2-2 draw with Sunderland at Anfield, having led 2-0 for majority of the game, but threw away the advantage in the dying minutes of the second half, coming out with only a point from a winning situation. Things did not turn for the better against West Ham in the FA Cup replay at Upton Park, where they were shown the door from a last minute winner.

What managers say

Remi Garde: "There is no miracle. Working is the only way to change things. I remember when Jurgen Klopp arrived he said something I totally agree with. In this country he had the feeling he was the only one who believed in working on the training pitch until things change, instead of speaking only about transfers. If you have this philosophy it is not one or two training sessions or one or two weeks that you can change the way your team is playing. For my point of view the way they play now is much different than before. Probably at the moment the results are not the ones they are expecting there but as I told you time is time and you cannot avoid that."

Jurgen Klopp:"[On Sturridge] Football looks so easy when he plays. Nobody had a doubt about this for one second. That's good for us. The next game is Sunday and we will see how we can manage him. It's really normal that everybody is asking about Daniel. He is one of the most talented players I have ever seen, for sure. And he was unavailable, so everybody was waiting. If nobody was waiting, then he wouldn't have quality. That's how it is. You can never be really satisfied. You want him on the pitch, and that's normal."

Betting odds (888Sport)

  • Aston Villa to win: 21/5
  • Draw: 21/10
  • Liverpool to win: 7/9

Team News

Aston Villa

Possible XI: Bunn; Richards, Okore, Lescott, Cissokho; Bacuna, Gueye, Westwood; Gil, Veretout; Agbonlahor.

Liverpool

Possible XI: Mignolet; Clyne, Toure, Sakho, Moreno; Henderson, Can, Milner; Lallana, Firmino, Coutinho.

Liverpool FC