The Reds return to the famous stadium for the first time since going down 2-1 to Chelsea in the final back in 2012, but the resurgent Villans stand between them and a shot at redemption.

Aston Villa

Liverpool need only look at Villa's form, not the Premier League table, to know that Sunday's clash will be anything but a walk in the park for them.

Facing the Villans is a vastly different encounter now than it was, say, a matter of months ago as they continue to impress under new manager Tim Sherwood.

Sherwood has guided the club to three wins in six, with Saturday's 1-0 triumph at Tottenham Hotspur helping them move six points clear of the relegation zone with six games remaining.

It was a weekend that saw several of their relegation rivals drop points, and those slip-ups could allow Sherwood to name a stronger side than he might have after establishing a degree of comfort in the race for survival.

Crucially, the former Spurs coach also appears to have drawn the best form out of Christian Benteke, who has eight goals in his last six games, and the Belgian will hope to prolong that red-hot form at Wembley this weekend.

Recent form: DWLLWW
Recent form (all competitions): DWLLWW

Liverpool

Things are not quite as promising now as they were on Merseyside this time last year, with Liverpool challenging for a Premier League title that they ultimately lost by a point.

However, there remain a few reasons to be cheerful as Brendan Rodgers's side look to finish this season with another Champions League berth along with an FA Cup title.

It proved to be a trying first half of the season in which the Reds bowed out at the group stage on their long-awaited return to the Champions League, along with coming into the calendar year a full 17 points behind league leaders Chelsea.

They have proven a different proposition since the turn of the year, though, with Rodgers's troops kicking off 2015 with a 10-league game unbeaten run - eight of which were wins - to restore their hopes of another top-four finish.

Back-to-back defeats against Manchester United and Arsenal in recent weeks have stunted their progress, but a 2-0 win over Newcastle United on Monday saw them move four points adrift of an erratic Manchester City side in fourth.

Steven Gerrard's return from suspension throws up an intriguing subplot as the legendary captain hopes to win the competition on the day of his 35th birthday to bookend an illustrious Liverpool career.

The Los Angeles Galaxy-bound midfielder was the hero in 2006 when his last-minute stunner took West Ham to extra time before the Reds ultimately won on penalties, and Rodgers will be hoping that his skipper displays similar heroics on Sunday to help Liverpool into the showpiece on May 30.

Recent form: WWWLLW
Recent form (all competitions): DWLLWW

Team News

Gabriel Agbonlahor of Aston Villa celebrates scoring their second goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Sunderland and Aston Villa at Stadium of Light on March 14, 2015

Gabriel Agbonlahor has been rated as "touch and go" by manager Sherwood to be fit in time for Sunday's encounter following a hamstring problem.

Carlos Sanchez misses the clash through suspension, while Ciaran Clark has been definitely ruled out through injury.

However, Scott Sinclair, who has been out since March, has shaken off his injury to participate, as has Ashley Westwood.

Meanwhile, Rodgers has stalwarts Gerrard and Martin Skrtel available after three-game bans, but Daniel Sturridge and Mamadou Sakho both remain doubts.

Aston Villa's possible starting lineup:
Given; Bacuna, Vlaar, Clark, Richardson; Cleverley, Delph, Westwood Grealish, Sinclair, Benteke

Liverpool's possible starting lineup:
Mignolet, Johnson, Can, Skrtel, Moreno, Gerrard, Lucas, Henderson, Lallana, Coutinho, Sterling

Head To Head

Liverpool have managed five wins from their last 10 meetings with their West Midlands counterparts, with Villa winning three.

One of those three came back in September when the Villans - then under Paul Lambert - secured a shock 1-0 victory at Anfield, though Rodgers's charges had their revenge with a 2-0 win at Villa Park in January.

We say: Aston Villa 1-2 Liverpool

Villa should put up a very stern fight but we reckon that Liverpool will have too much quality on a day that will surely see Gerrard shine to move one step away from a fairytale ending.