Aston Villa vs. Liverpool Prediction: Will Villans or Reds Reach Champions League?

Neither Aston Villa nor Liverpool have qualified for the Champions League yet. Will either side seal the deal by winning on Friday night?

• Aston Villa could only manage a 2-2 draw with Burnley last weekend

• Liverpool drew 1-1 with Chelsea in their most recent Premier League encounter

Aston Villa vs. Liverpool Odds

The odds for Aston Villa vs Liverpool can be found in the odds table below, and are taken from Caesars Sportsbook. Use our Caesars Sportsbook promo code WSNDYW and claim your welcome offer: Bet $1, Double Your Winnings 10x.

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My +200 Pick for Aston Villa vs. Liverpool 

Back Aston Villa to beat Liverpool on Friday. The Reds are not right at the moment, and Unai Emery’s side know that a victory would secure their place in the top five of the Premier League.

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Aston Villa Not Over the Line in Bid for Top-Five Finish Just Yet

It has long been assumed that Aston Villa will be in the Champions League next season, but they have not yet booked their place at the tournament. It is still likely that Villa will claim a seat at Europe’s top table for 2026/27 one way or another, yet a manager as meticulous as Unai Emery will not be taking anything for granted.

Villa have two routes into the Champions League. The first is by winning the Europa League final. After beating Nottingham Forest 4-1 on aggregate in the last four, Villa will face Freiburg in the final next week. Most importantly, victory in Istanbul would give the club its first trophy since 1996. But success against Freiburg would also see Villa enter next term’s Champions League.

The other method is via the Premier League. A top-five finish would be enough for Villa to advance to the continent’s foremost competition. Villa climbed into the top five in November and they have been there ever since. But having spent months in third place, fueling talk of a possible tilt at the title, Villa have dropped to fifth. 

Ahead of Friday’s meeting with Liverpool, the Villans are four points clear of Bournemouth in sixth. They may yet qualify without picking up another point, but Villa know that one more victory would get them over the line. 

With a tricky trip to title-chasing Manchester City booked in for the final day, Emery will have earmarked this clash with Liverpool as Villa’s best chance to collect the three points they need. Villa’s failure to beat Burnley last weekend has increased the pressure on this game, but Emery will be pleased that his team have their fate in their own hands.

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Will Arne Slot Stay as Liverpool Boss or Depart This Summer?

Liverpool have not yet booked their spot in the Champions League. That was the minimum expectation this term, and the talk around the club suggests Arne Slot will keep his job if he leads the Reds to a top-five finish. Do not expect the debate to end any time soon, though. A sizable portion of the Liverpool fan base wants to see a change in the dugout this summer.

On the one hand, that is difficult to comprehend. Liverpool supporters are renowned for their loyalty towards managers. Moreover, the team’s struggles this term cannot solely be blamed on Slot. The passing of Diogo Jota was always going to be tough to deal with. Last summer’s recruitment was mixed at best; Slot is not in control of buying and selling players. And having won the title in 2024/25, it would be harsh to sack the Dutchman after one below-par campaign.

However, it is getting harder and harder to defend Slot. Liverpool have been poor for some time now. They won their first five games of the season, but since then seven sides have collected more points than the Reds. On top of that, their style of soccer has been uninspiring. The tepid display in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea was just the latest example of that.

Worryingly for Slot, there were audible boos when the full-time whistle sounded at the end of that game. That is a rare occurrence at Anfield and speaks to the dissatisfaction many matchgoing Liverpool fans feel.

“Yes, I do [think I can get the supporters back on side],” Slot said when that question was put to him. “Not this season, by the way. This season they will have their opinion and it will not change. But if we can have the summer that we are planning to have, then I'm 100 percent convinced that we will be a different team next season than we are now.”

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Can Aston Villa Claim Champions League Spot on Friday?

Aston Villa know that a win in any of their last three games this term, including the Europa League final, would confirm their entry to the Champions League. They would still have two more chances even if they failed to come out on top on Friday, but Emery will be keen for his team to get the job done as soon as possible.

For one, it would allow Villa to focus on the Europa League final in its own right. That match against Freiburg would then become about the trophy alone, reducing some of the burden on the players. No doubt the beancounters at Villa Park would be pleased to confirm Champions League qualification as quickly as possible too.

Villa have been far from perfect in the Premier League of late. A 2-2 draw with relegated Burnley was a disappointing result. Before that, Villa were deservedly beaten by a struggling Tottenham Hotspur side. Emery’s men have taken just one point from the last nine available.

However, it will not have escaped the attention of regular Premier League viewers that Liverpool have not exactly been firing on all cylinders of late either. Additionally, they are without several key players due to injury. Go for an Aston Villa victory in the first fixture of the penultimate Premier League weekend of the 2025/26 campaign.

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How to Watch Aston Villa vs. Liverpool

• Teams: Aston Villa vs. Liverpool

• Location: Villa Park, Birmingham, England

• Date and Time: Friday, May 15 at 3:00 PM ET

• How to Watch: USA Network