Liverpool FC have now lost six of their last seven, across all competitions. That is disaster class, simply put. “It’s always a blow to lose a game of football, especially if it leads to going out of a competition,” Reds manager Arne Slot said after the 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.
“But it’s the same selection I did tonight as I did last season in rounds like this.”
Aston Villa vs Liverpool FC FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Nov. 1, 8pm, Anfield, Liverpool, UK
Starting XI Predictions: Liverpool Aston Villa
Team News for Both Sides: go here
Premier League Position, Form Guide: Liverpool 7th, 15 pts, WLLLL Aston Villa 8th, 15 pts, DWWWW
Result Probability: Liverpool 62% Draw 20% Aston Villa 17%
Over this span, which is bookended by losses to Palace (the other being a 2-1 league defeat at their ground on Sept. 27), the goal differential is only -4, so the Merseyside club isn’t getting blown out by any means.
“There are many reasons maybe why we’ve lost six out of seven,” Slot continued.
“None of them are good enough to accept losing so many. So I can come up with arguments or reasons, but none of them will be enough. Because at Liverpool, losing five or six, six or seven is always too much.”
Slot went with a heavily rotated side earlier tonight, playing a ton of reserves and youngsters. He’ll put the starters back in on Saturday, when Aston Villa comes to visit.
Liverpool Predicted Starting XI vs Aston Villa
Giorgi Mamardashvili; Conor Bradley, Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez; Alexis Mac Allister, Dominic Szoboszlai; Mo Salah, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo; Hugo Ekitike
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN.