Barclays Premier League
Venue: Anfield Date: Monday 24 August Kick-off: 2000 BST
Coverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio 5 Live, local radio & ESPN; Full match commentary on BBC Radio Merseyside 95.8 FM, 1485 MW and DAB
TEAM NEWS
**Liverpool have an injury crisis in central defence with Daniel Agger out for six weeks with a back injury.**Teenager Daniel Ayala, Martin Skrtel - who missed the 4-0 win over Stoke with a fractured jaw - and new Greek signing Sotirios Kyrgiakos are in contention.
Aston Villa are monitoring the fitness of Curtis Davies, who injured his shoulder in the defeat by Rapid Vienna.
Defender Luke Young has been given compassionate leave after the death of his half-brother.
Liverpool
Suspended: None
Doubtful: Skrtel (head) Injured: Agger (back), Aquilani (ankle), El Zhar & Aurelio (both knee)
Aston Villa
Suspended: None
Doubtful: Davies (shoulder), Carew (virus) Injured: Downing (foot), Bouma (ankle), L Young (compassionate leave)
MATCH PREVIEW
Liverpool put a poor start against Tottenham behind them to put four past Stoke City in midweek and look more like the side they were much of last season.
“The games are hard and approaching us pretty quickly but when we settle down this season we will be absolutely fine”
Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill
Other similarities with the 2008/09 campaign also remain, with Rafa Benitez wrangling over his transfer kitty and already having to quash rumours of his imminent departure.
Aston Villa have started the new season much as they ended the last one - in poor form.
606: DEBATE
Discuss Monday’s game
Booed off by home fans after their 2-0 defeat to Wigan last Saturday, they then lost 1-0 to Rapid Vienna in the first leg of their Europa League qualifier on Thursday.
Without so much as a goal so far this season, they now face Liverpool, a team they haven’t beaten in their last 16 attempts.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• Liverpool are unbeaten in the last 16 home and away games against Villa (W10, D6) since a 3-1 defeat at Anfield in September 2001. This unbeaten run includes one League Cup win.
• Liverpool have won more Premier League points against Aston Villa than any other club (62).
• Liverpool beat Villa 5-0 in the corresponding fixture last year, with Steven Gerrard scoring a hat-trick.
• Gerrard has scored 10 goals against Aston Villa in his career (including nine in the league) - his highest tally against any one club.
Liverpool
• Liverpool have not lost at home in the league for 31 games.
• Liverpool have never lost a Premier League match in which Fernando Torres has scored. Torres has now scored in 28 different league matches for the club (23 wins, 5 draws).
• Dirk Kuyt is on 149 Liverpool appearances.
Aston Villa
• Aston Villa have not won any of their last six away games in the Premier League.
• Villa have won just two of their last 14 league matches.
• Nicky Shorey is on 299 career league starts.
• Marlon Harewood celebrates his 30th birthday on Tuesday.
LEADING GOALSCORERS
Liverpool
Gerrard, Johnson, Kuyt, N’Gog, Torres: 1 goal (1 league)
**Aston Villa **
(last season’s scorers as no goals scored yet this season)
Carew: 15 goals (11 league); Agbonlahor: 13 goals (12 league)
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Assistant referees: Phil Sharp & Trevor Massey
Fourth official: Mike Jones
LAST LEAGUE MATCH LINE-UPS
**Liverpool **(W 4-0 v Stoke, h): Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Ayala, Insua, Mascherano, Lucas, Kuyt (Riera 82), Gerrard (Voronin 81), Benayoun, Torres (Ngog 84). Subs Not Used: Cavalieri, Babel, Kelly, Dossena.
**Aston Villa **(L 0-2 v Wigan, h): Friedel, Beye (Albrighton 68), Cuellar, Davies, Shorey, Milner, Delph (Sidwell 61), Petrov, A Young, Agbonlahor (Delfouneso 77), Heskey. Subs Not Used: Guzan, Reo-Coker, Gardner, Clark.
MOST RECENT MEETING
Liverpool 5-0 Aston Villa 22 March 2009](http://www.paklinks.com/gs/<CPS:LINK HREF=)
**Liverpool scorers: **Kuyt 8, Riera 33, Gerrard 39 (pen), 50, 65 (pen)