Premier League preview: Liverpool face Aston Villa in must-win match to keep title hopes alive
Villa coach Gerrard will aim to put dent in his former club’s aspirations
London: Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk has said that the team must channel the frustration felt after their 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur into focus for their next matches in the Premier League.
Liverpool had to settle for a point from Saturday’s clash with Spurs, and then saw Manchester City thrash Newcastle 5-0 to go 3 points clear at the top of the table.
Tomorrow, the Reds face Aston Villa and know they must win to keep their title hopes alive.
Juergen Klopp’s side fell behind to a Son Heung-min finish early in the second half at Anfield and levelled on the night through Luis Diaz’s deflected effort. “It doesn’t feel like (a point rescued) at all,” Van Dijk said.
Not good enough
“Obviously, we knew their game plan, we knew the quality they have, especially on the break. I think on the ball we were just not good enough. We lost the ball in difficult situations and if you lose the ball in those situations you’re not well organised, so they can do what they are good at,” he said.
“It is frustrating to drop points, but we have to recover and play the remaining games. We have quite exciting games still coming up and we have to turn disappointment now into focus on Villa.”
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard will seek to put another dent in his former club’s title hopes. They eased to a 3-1 win at Burnley at the weekend and have no fresh injury concerns to report.
Ex-Liverpool man Philippe Coutinho was dropped for the win over Burnley, and Gerrard will be hesitant to tinker with a winning formula.
Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino returned to training and should be available for selection while Naby Keita and Diogo Jota can also feel optimistic about their chances of starting.