Liverpool have a huge game against Aston Villa on Wednesday evening amid their pursuit of the Premier League title. Arne Slot's side are the current leaders with the gap to Arsenal back at seven points following Sunday's 2-1 win against Wolves.

First-half goals from Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz put the Reds in complete control, but it was a nervous final 30 minutes at Anfield, especially after Matheus Cunha pulled one back. The drastic change in momentum also saw Liverpool unable to muster a shot at goal in the second 45.

Due to a number of factors, that was Liverpool's thirteenth game of 2025 thus far, with a further seven on the horizon before the March international break. While several clubs, even those in Europe, are set to enjoy another free midweek, Liverpool must go again with another tough away fixture.

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Last Wednesday it was the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park with James Tarkowski snatching a point for Everton with a last-gasp equaliser. This week, it is a trip to Villa Park for a game against Aston Villa that was initially scheduled for mid-March until it was brought forward after Liverpool reached the Carabao Cup final.

With Cody Gakpo ruled out because of an ankle injury, Slot faces a number of team selection decisions, but the most important one will likely be in midfield. Since the 46-year-old's arrival, Ryan Gravenberch has put in a number of superb displays in a deeper role, often supported by Alexis Mac Allister.

However, his influence is beginning to wane, and it is quite clear he is becoming rather tired. That is hardly surprising given the fact he has started every Premier League game this season and has already played just under 3,000 minutes in all competitions this season.

Though the clash against Villa is important and will be challenging, it may be time for the Dutchmen to be given a slight rest especially with a trip to Manchester City arriving this weekend. While Slot could deploy Mac Allister in his role, Wataru Endo has done enough to earn a rare start.

Once a regular starter under Jurgen Klopp, the Japan international has been mostly limited to cameos from the bench, with his latest being very impressive. Upon replacing Diaz for the final 20 minutes, Endo was key in helping Liverpool see out the victory as he won three out of five ground duels while also winning two free-kicks.

With the likes of Morgan Rogers, Jacob Ramsey and now Marcus Rashford in their attack, Villa are very good in transition under Unai Emery, but Endo is certainly capable of breaking up play in a number of different ways.

Given the clear fatigue of his midfield, Slot was asked about using Endo more often in his pre-Villa press conference. "Wata has been really useful for us this season. Not always about the amount of minutes you play; you can be important for two minutes and less important for 90 minutes," he said.

"What makes Wata special is that every time we have to rely on him, he shows up. If a player hasn't had a lot of playing time and you can be mentally strong to bring you best performance, that's not easy.

"Only thing is, defending is always more easy than creating. If you have to play a player who needs to create after not many minutes, it's more difficult." While there is no guarantee he starts in the Midlands, it is something Slot may start thinking about as the run-in heats up.