Strikers will be in focus when Liverpool host Aston Villa in the English Premier League on Saturday.
Where to Watch Live
The game is scheduled for a 5.30 pm GMT (11 pm IST) start with live coverage on Sky Sports 1 in the UK and Star Sports 4 and Star Sports HD2 in India. The match can be live streamed online in the UK HERE, while India viewers can go HERE. Catch the action via live streaming in the US HERE, while Australia viewers can do the same HERE. Live stream the match in the Middle East and North Africa HERE, with the same for the rest of Africa viewers HERE.
While the SAS combine of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge grabbed all the headlines last weekend, Villa have added a striker of their own to add to the potency of Christian Benteke, with former Norwich man Grant Holt joining the midlands club on loan from Wigan for the rest of the season.
With Benteke, despite scoring in the 2-1 loss to Arsenal on Monday night, off the boil for large parts of the season, Aston Villa have struggled for goals and Paul Lambert is hopeful Holt, who thrived under the Villa manager at Norwich, can add some much-needed firepower.
"Holty was a no-brainer in terms of me going to do it," Lambert said. "He was fantastic for me in three years at Norwich. I am sure the Norwich fans hold him in great esteem for what he did for the football club. He was a fantastic player but he was fantastic around about the place too. He was a big character.
"You need characters at football clubs. There are one or two already in the dressing room. It's good to enhance that. He will do that. He will add some strength and depth to us also because we're not a massive squad. He will give us a hand, that's for sure. I know what I'm getting in him too. I think he will surprise a few."
While Benteke and Holt might look a similar on paper, Lambert believes the two can work together. "I wouldn't have a problem with playing Christian and Grant together," he added. "I think they would bring a physicality to things.
"When you look at their physicality allied to Gabby's [Gabriel Agbonlahor] speed and Andi's (Andreas Weimann] endeavour, there are a lot of options there."
Goals have not been a problem for Liverpool, though, with Sturridge only adding more potency to an attack which seems to direct the ball into the back of the net each time Suarez has a touch.
With Suarez nearly unplayable at the moment, Sturridge just brings another dimension, and if the duo can continue to link-up like they have all season whenever they have played together, then Villa could be in for a thumping at Anfield.
Brendan Rodgers, whose Liverpool side are currently fourth, six points behind Arsenal, believes his team are capable of challenging for the title this season, especially with the SAS combo firing on all cylinders.
"Of course, everyone will talk about the three clubs [Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea] that's there in front of us because they've got squads that have been around there for years and have big squads to choose from," Rodgers said.
"For us it's a case of continually improving and working, and trying to fight to be up there. It's very close, and since Christmas Day, the table has changed quite a bit. You win a game, you get a run together and you're right up there. You lose a few, and you can be completely out of it.
"I think we showed that last week [a 5-3 win at Stoke] when we were one of the last teams to play, and all those in and around us won, so we knew we had to perform to stay up there and above the dotted line as such.
"We've responded to that, and I think over the course of a long period of time, we've shown that consistency. I just have to make sure we keep the pressure off the players, and just focus on our performances, because when we've done that, we've shown we can win games."
Team news: Liverpool: Joe Allen returns from an adductor problem, while Mamadou Sakho also has a chance of making the squad for the Villa clash. Daniel Agger, Jon Flanagan, Jose Enrique and Sebastian Coates, however, remain sidelined.
Daniel Sturridge, who came off the bench to score against Stoke last weekend, is set for a start against Villa. "His qualities and fitness, aligned with what I've seen in training, I think, show that if we needed him to start, he would be able to," Rodgers said.
Aston Villa: Nathan Baker is ruled out after sustaining a head injury against Arsenal, while Chris Herd and Joe Bennett are also unlikely to feature. Grant Holt, though, could be handed his debut for a Villa side that find themselves in 11th, but only five points adrift of the relegation places.
Key men: Liverpool: Cannot look beyond Sturridge and Suarez. If the two click, then Liverpool could run riot.
Aston Villa: Benteke scored his first goal in 13 games against Arsenal, and the Belgian will now look to go on a goalscoring run akin to the one witnessed so often last season.
Expected lineups: Liverpool: Mignolet; Johnson, Skrtel, Toure, Cissokho; Lucas, Gerrard; Henderson, Suarez, Coutinho; Sturridge.
Aston Villa: Guzan; Lowton, Vlaar, Clark, Luna; El Ahmadi, Westwood, Delph; Weimann, Benteke, Agbonlahor.
Prediction: 3-0 to Liverpool
