Premier League preview: Liverpool vs Aston Villa

koclokindoblog, 5 April 2012, Liverpool will aim to reverse their worst run of league form in 59 years when they host Aston Villa at Anfield on Saturday.
Despite winning the Carling Cup in February, the Reds have lost six of their last seven English Premier League outings and slipped to eighth on the table, heaping pressure on manager Kenny Daglish.

With three games in eight days on the horizon, including the FA Cup semi-final against neighbours Everton, Daglish declared his side have "got to stick together" after they were defeated 2-0 by Newcastle United last week.

At the other end of the Premier League table, Villa boss Alex McLeish stated this week that 40 points should be enough to secure his side's top-flight status.

Villa have collected 33 points to date and sit five above the relegation zone, but have won only two of their last 11 Premier League starts and face further tests against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur this season.

Gabriel Agbonlahor will captain Villa for the remainder of the campaign after Bulgarian international Stiliyan Petrov was recently diagnosed with leukaemia and announced his immediate retirement as a player.

Brazilian shot stopper Alexander Doni will make his Liverpool debut in goal after Spaniard Pepe Reina was sent off against Newcastle and suspended for three matches.

Doni, 32, has occupied a spot on the bench for every minute of Liverpool's 42 games this season since joining from AS Roma and will become the first goalkeeper other than Reina to start a league match for the Reds since May 2007.

"He has played for Brazil, one of the greatest national teams in the world, so he is used to playing in big games," Liverpool defender Sebastian Coates told liverpoolfc.tv.

"He perhaps hasn't had an opportunity because obviously we have Pepe, but I think he will do well."

Charles N'Zogbia and Alan Hutton could return from injury for Villa, although whether they comeback against Liverpool or at home versus Stoke City two days later remains to be seen.

"(Physiotherapist) Alan Smith was very happy with their progress," McLeish told avfc.co.uk.

"I met Hutts passing in the corridor and I saw Charles in the treatment room. They said they feel good.

"We hope that they could be available, if not for the Saturday game against Liverpool, possibly the Monday game against Stoke."