Liverpool head to Villa Park tonight, as a very young side takes on Aston Villa in a League Cup quarter-final. Here are the key stats ahead of kickoff.
Records to be Broken
Liverpool’s youngest-ever starting XI had an average age of 21 years, 296 days when they faced Plymouth in the FA Cup at Anfield in January 2017. The teams drew 0-0.
Liverpool’s youngest ever captain is Alex Raisbeck, who was 20 years, 250 days when doing so for the first time in September 1900.
Fleeting Experience
Excluding those that have flown to the Club World Cup, those that could appear in this fixture have a combined total of 18 first-team appearances for the club.
Pedro Chirivella has played seven times, with Rhian Brewster, Ki-Jana Hoever, Caoimhin Kelleher, Harvey Elliott and Sepp van den Berg all having appeared twice and Herbie Kane once.
Hoever (with one) is the only Reds player to score for the senior team.
Villa’s Malaise
Since defeating Wolves in the last round, Villa have won one of seven games, losing five with one draw.
That win came against Newcastle on this ground when Conor Hourihane and Anwar El Ghazi scored in a 2-0 victory.
That win has been followed by a draw and three defeats in the Premier League.
They have conceded 10 goals in their last four games and kept just one clean sheet in the last 14 outings in league and cup.
First-Team Form
Liverpool have won each of the last six league visits to Villa Park.
They have lost just one of the last 20 visits in all competitions, going down 1-0 to a Stewart Downing goal on the last day of the 2010/11 season.
That game saw Brad Friedel in the hosts’ goal for a team managed by Gary McAllister.
Villa won the last cup meeting between the clubs—the 2015 FA Cup semi-final at Wembley when Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph turned the tie around following Philippe Coutinho’s opener.
Only Jordan Henderson, Dejan Lovren and Jack Grealish remain at their clubs from that day.
This will be the fourth occasion that Liverpool have played at Villa Park in the League Cup. They have won all three.
As well as their last visit they won a final replay against West Ham in 1981 to clinch their first League Cup and in 1988 beat Arsenal in a third-round second replay.
This Season’s Scorers
Villa: Grealish 6, Hourihane 5, El Ghazi 4, Wesley 4, McGinn 3, Trezeguet 3, Douglas Luiz 2, Davis 1, Elmohamady 1, Guilbert 1, Jota 1, Konsa 1, Mings 1, Targett 1
Liverpool: Mane 13, Salah 13, Origi 5, Oxlade-Chamberlain 5, Firmino 4, Milner 3, Van Dijk 3, Wijnaldum 3, own goals 3, Keita 2, Matip 2, Robertson 2, Alexander-Arnold 1, Fabinho 1, Henderson 1, Hoever 1, Lallana 1, Lovren 1, Shaqiri 1
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