By Mihail Vladimirov. 

This game pits together two teams who are very much out of form. Liverpool are winless in six games (in all competitions), while Villa are without a win in the league since the opening-day victory at Bournemouth. Sherwood’s team registered their first win since early August this Tuesday when they won over city rivals Birmingham in the Capital One Cup game.

For both managers this game is opportunity to win some much needed breathing space. Yet another poor result combined with an underwhelming performance will surely spell huge troubles for Rodgers. Meanwhile, Sherwood – while not particularly under pressure of being sacked – will know that his team will need to start racking up some points if he is to avoid the same level of scrutiny and speculation regarding his suitability for the job.

How Villa might line-up?

Sherwood would be boosted by the news that Lescott (who limped off at half-time against Birmingham) and Gana are passed fit to feature in this game. The former forged a nice partnership with his former Man City teammate Micah Richards at centre-back, while the latter has been a real driving force in Villa’s midfield before injury forced him out in the team’s last two league games.

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