Liverpool can take a huge step toward the Premier League title later today. Aston Villa though will certainly not make things easy for the Reds.

Arne Slot takes his side to Villa Park knowing that victory would pile the pressure on Arsenal in the title race. Liverpool can go 10 points clear, which would leave Mikel Arteta’s side with a mountain to climb, even with a game in hand after today.

The Reds though will have to improve on Sunday’s nervy showing in the 2-1 win over Wolves as they step things up over the next few days. If a trip to Villa wasn’t tough enough, Manchester City lies in wait at the weekend, presenting Liverpool with a week that could well decide its title fate.

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With that in mind, there is simply no other option for Slot than to name his strongest possible side today. He has already been hindered in that regard, with Cody Gakpo being ruled out - fingers crossed he can return to training later this week ahead of the trip to the Etihad.

In some ways though, that does make selecting his side to face Villa a little easier, although he may look to make one or two changes in order to keep things fresh. One such adjustment may come at left-back, with Kostas Tsimikas coming in for Andy Robertson.

The rest of the back four remains the same, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk retaining their usual spots, while Alisson Becker continues in goal.

There might be a temptation to make a change in midfield given it did look tired at the weekend, especially with Curtis Jones back from suspension. We’re sticking with the usual trio of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, although expect Jones to get plenty of minutes from the bench.

With Gakpo out, Luis Diaz starts on the left, and Mohamed Salah takes his usual spot on the right, leaving a straight shootout between Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez to start up front.

Jota got the nod at the weekend, and he does seem to be Slot’s preferred choice for the No.9 role. Starting him twice in just a few days though does feel a bit of a risk, and Nunez should have good memories of his last outing against Villa, so it’s the Uruguayan who gets the nod from us.

Predicted Liverpool line-up vs Aston Villa: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz; Nunez.