Sadio Mane‘s impeccable scoring record could be the key as Liverpool take on Steven Gerrard‘s Aston Villa, as Jurgen Klopp and James Milner eye a landmark afternoon.
Mane has scored eight goals in his eight career appearances against Villa, netting four times in four games while with the Reds.
He has scored in seven of his last nine Anfield league appearances.
Liverpool’s No. 10 still holds the record for the Premier League‘s fastest-ever hat-trick, that being for Southampton against Aston Villa in May 2015, netting three in two minutes, 56 seconds in a 6-1 win.
The return of the Gerrard
Gerrard returns to Anfield for the first time in a competitive fixture since leaving Liverpool in 2015.
He made 710 appearances for the Reds (504 in the league) with 120 of his 186 goals coming in the league.
Gerrard played 27 times against Villa in his career, losing just five, including each of his final two encounters.
Only Robbie Fowler with 14, has scored more goals against Villa for Liverpool in all games than Gerrard who netted 13, while only Jamie Carragher (31) played more times for the club against today’s opponents than Gerrard’s 27.
The 13 goals scored against Villa was Gerrard’s highest tally against a single club.
Favourite opponents
Converting to three points for a win, Liverpool have won more points against Aston Villa in their history (310) than in encounters with any other league team.
Everton are next with 305.
They have also scored more league goals in their history (331) against Villa than they have against any other team.
However, only Man United (12) and Chelsea (7) of all visiting teams have won more times at Anfield than Villa in the Premier League (six) although Arsenal have also won six.
Villa have won three of the last nine league visits, with Gerrard being in the Liverpool team on each occasion.
Klopp’s landmark
A win will see Klopp break the 500 points landmark as a manager in the Premier League. The win at Wolves took him to 498 points.
Should Liverpool score they will equal the club record of finding the net in 31 successive games in all competitions set previously from April 1957 to January 1958.
They last failed to score in the home draw against Real Madrid in April.
Milner climbs up the charts
Should Milner make an appearance he will move into outright fourth place on the Premier League’s all-time appearance list.
It will be his 573rd – bettered only by Gareth Barry (653), Ryan Giggs (632) and Frank Lampard (609).
Milner played 126 times for Villa in league and cup in a spell from 2008 to 2010 which followed a loan spell at the club in 2005/06. He scored 22 goals.
He scored his first Liverpool goal against Villa in September 2015.
Supersub Origi
Divock Origi came off the bench to score the winner at Wolves a week ago, on his 100th substitute appearance for the club, and in doing so became the joint-highest scoring Liverpool sub in league history.
Both he and Daniel Sturridge have 10.
That Origi goal was the 39th time in the Premier League era that the Reds have scored a winning goal in the 90th minute or later.
A rarity
This will be the first time since May 2007 that Liverpool will have kicked off at 3 pm in the Premier League for a third consecutive Saturday.
Liverpool on form
Liverpool have now scored in each of their 25 league games since the 1-0 defeat to Fulham at Anfield last March.
In their last 20 games, the Reds have scored 60 times.
Since the loss at West Ham last month they have won six in a row in all competitions, conceding just twice while scoring 17.
Today’s referee
Stuart Attwell has taken charge of Villa this season in their 3-0 loss at Chelsea and in Liverpool’s 3-3 draw at Brentford.
He sent off Anwar El Ghazi at Leeds in 2019.
This season’s scorers
Liverpool: Salah 20, Jota 9, Mane 9, Firmino 6, Origi 5, Minamino 4, Keita 3, Henderson 3, Thiago 2, Alexander-Arnold 1, Fabinho 1, Jones 1, Van Dijk 1, own goals 1
Aston Villa: Archer 4, Watkins 4, El Ghazi 3, Ings 3, McGinn 3, Konsa 2, Bailey 1, Buendia 1, Cash 1, Hause 1, Guilbert 1, Mings 1, J.Ramsey 1, Targett 1, own goals 1
* Stats courtesy of LFC statistician Ged Rea (@ged0407).
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