Aston Villa v Liverpool betting tips and preview

Aston Villa's season started with so much promise and, going into their fixture against Liverpool at Anfield, the wind was duly taken out of their sails as the Reds ran rings around Martin O'Neill's men, winning 3-1.The Villains are bound to make a better fist of things this time - they conceded three first-half goals at Anfield and were ultimately dead and buried after the whistle went for the interval - when Liverpool visit on Sunday. But, by the same token, the portents aren't good for them with regard to getting anything from this game.Indeed, Pool have prevailed in eight of their last 11 visits to Villa Park and, with the likes of Bolton and Merseyside rivals Everton in their Premiership slipstream, Rafa Benitez's charges will be desperate to bag three points and take another step towards guaranteeing Champions League football for themselves next season.Disconcertingly, if you're a Villa player or fan, the Midlands-based club have won just two of their last 17 in all competitions and, taking on a side fresh from knocking the mighty Barcelona out of the Champions League, it's hard to enthuse about their chances in this match, to say the very least.Villa are flirting dangerously with the drop zone. Admittedly, there is a seven-point gap between them and third-from-bottom side Charlton. However, we all know how rapidly things can change and, to all intents and purposes, Lady Luck just doesn't appear to be shining on O'Neill and his squad at present.For a side boasting their firepower, Liverpool don't score many goals on their travels in the Premiership - they've struck just 15 times in 14 games - and, to their credit, Aston Villa's record of conceding 12 times in 14 home fixtures is far from disgraceful, and they held Chelsea to a goalless draw here in January.But, as Arsenal demonstrated when visiting in midweek, it's not hard to put Villa on the back foot - their style seems negative at the moment; they are clearly lacking confidence, and which side wouldn't given their dismal form. If they sit back and try to soak up Pool's pressure, chances are they'll succumb eventually.To my mind, the value for punters lies in splitting stakes and having a couple of quid on Liverpool to win 1-0 and 2-0 at 6/1 and 8/1 respectively with Betfred. Villa are not bad defensively, so I doubt they'll get thumped, but Liverpool's travelling fans can expect a goal or two, of that I'm confident.Verdict:1.00 Pts Liverpool to win 1-0 @ 6/1 with Betfred1.00 Pts Liverpool to win 2-0 @ 8/1 with Betfred