On Saturday, Liverpool will host Aston Villa at Anfield in the Premier League.
Ahead of Aston Villa’s trip to Liverpool, Unai Emery has explained why playing at Anfield is so challenging.
The Reds will host the Birmingham-based team on Saturday in the middle of the 2022–23 campaign. Although their hopes of making the Champions League were dashed by Newcastle United’s 4-1 victory over Brighton last night, Jurgen Klopp’s team is still in with a chance.
Liverpool have won their last seven games, but they still want to finish the season strong and carry that momentum into the following season. Both Villa and the Reds have already secured a spot in the Europa League. Since Emery took over at Villa Park from Kop legend Steven Gerrard, they have improved significantly and are currently ranked eighth.
The challenge that Villa faces against Liverpool has Emery on guard. This season, the Reds have amassed 43 points on their home field, with Anfield continuing to serve as a fortress.
The Villa manager also listed several factors that make playing in the stadium difficult.
“It will always be difficult to play against Liverpool on Saturday,” he said. “Playing should be fun for us, not a source of stress. I intend to get ready and take in the game. Clinical is what I seek.
It’s never easy at all.
Because we want to surpass Liverpool’s current level, we must prepare for situations like that. It’s on a high level. With Klopp in charge, they are now acting more like Liverpool as always.
“They’ll exert significant pressure on you for 90 minutes, so. The ball is very challenging to recover. They have strong players in each position, a very good structure, and excellent players for the duels. They also pass the ball defensively and stay on the ball. They have high-level offensive players and a strong bench that contributes in the second half. Their coach, Klopp, is excellent.
“The local populace strongly supports them. I want to face the many challenging things that we face. The challenge we will encounter is that we need to accomplish more than they do in 90 minutes. Then, it must also be clinical.”
