Preview: Liverpool vs. Aston Villa

Liverpool will be hoping that reunited strike pairing Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge can fire them to victory over Aston Villa at Anfield on Saturday.

The two reconvened their lethal partnership from earlier in the season when Sturridge returned from a seven-week injury layoff as a substitute in Liverpool's 5-3 win over Stoke City last weekend, and immediately supplied Suarez with a goal before scoring himself.

Sturridge's possible recall to the Reds starting XI is likely to be the only change made by Brendan Rodgers, with Raheem Sterling or Philippe Coutinho the most probable to be dropped to the bench.

Aly Cissokho has started the club's last four games at left-back and should continue there as Jose Enrique, John Flanagan, Daniel Agger and Mamadou Sakho are all injured, leaving Kolo Toure and Martin Skrtel as Rodgers's only available senior central defenders.

Villa boss Paul Lambert may feel it sensible not to risk Nathan Baker, who left the field with concussion in the 2-1 defeat to Arsenal on Monday, but Ron Vlaar, who returned to skipper the side at the Emirates Stadium following two spells on the sidelines, is fit to lead the Midlands outfit from centre-back.

Christian Benteke ended a three-month goal drought against the Gunners and is poised to continue as Villa's lone frontman despite the loan arrival of Grant Holt from Wigan Athletic.

Lambert's side have won four matches away from home this season - more than any other team in the bottom half of the table - and Andreas Weimann may be restored on the wing to improve their counter-attacking threat.

Recent form

Liverpool: WWLLWW

Villa: LWDLLL

Possible starting lineups

Liverpool: Mignolet; Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Cissokho; Gerrard, Lucas, Henderson; Coutinho, Suarez, Sturridge

Villa: Guzan; Lowton, Vlaar, Clark, Luna; El Ahmadi, Westwood, Delph; Weimann, Benteke, Agbonlahor

Sports Mole says: 3-1