Premiership Aston Villa v Liverpool
Posted on | August 11, 2007 | No Comments
Martin O’Neil and Rafael Benitez go head to head in the seasons opener, with Liverpool many peoples outsiders to play a big part in this seasons race for the title. Whether a realistic challenge has come 12 months too soon remains to be seen, but there is no doubt that Benitez is building a quality squad at Liverpool.
The Liverpool boss has been busy in the pre-season bringing in 8 new players, and while many of the fees where undisclosed, there is no doubt that young starlet Fernando Torres is the star of the show. Much sought after Torres has been in hot form in recent friendly games and there are high hopes that he can deliver in the new season, along with strike partners Crouch and Kuyt. Benitez has also managed to off load troubled star Craig Bellamy to West Ham for an impressive £7.5 million. Stalwart Robbie Fowler has also seen the curtain pulled down on his Anfield career, moving to Championship Cardiff to see out the final throws of his illustrious career.
Martin O’Neil’s managerial career at Aston Villa has not been as sparkling as had been hoped, but the emergence of a new owner last year and extra transfer funds at his disposal have seen O’Neil add to his squad in the close season. Nigel Reo-Coker called time on his troubled West Ham career, moving to Aston Villa for £8.5 million, with Harry Forrester, Marlon Harewood and Eric Lichaj also following him. O’Neil has also shipped out 8 players, making way for what the Villa faithful hope to be more signings before the close of the transfer window.
The signs are there for a good start for Liverpool, with Aston Villa taking only 4 points out of a possible 27 against Liverpool in Premeirship home games. Indeed, they have yet to record a victory over their rivals since February 1998 – a record which Liverpool fans will be sure to remind them about today!
While it seems that the odds are stacked against Aston Villa, they have a larger than life striker in the shape of John Carew, a man who can cause even the best of central defenders major problems. The Villa will need to be on their best form today to stop the Liverpool train, which appears to be picking up speed again. We are yet to see the best of O’Neil’s ex-Celtic signings Petrov and Maloney, and there have even been rumours that Maloney may be looking for a return to Celtic.
A tough day ahead for The Villa.
Forecast : Away Win
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