The Liverpool Offside - Liverpool v. Aston Villa, 01.18.14Zeppeline, Trinken, & Pink Badeshortshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/51345/ltos-fav.png2014-01-19T13:00:01+00:00http://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/rss/stream/50841852014-01-19T13:00:01+00:002014-01-19T13:00:01+00:00Sunday Open Thread
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<figcaption>Shaun Botterill</figcaption>
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<p>Manchester United's visit to Stamford Bridge highlights a Sunday schedule that also sees Spurs travel to Swansea and an away day for Suso and Almeria at Villareal.</p> <p>So yesterday wasn't a whole lot of fun, and now we have to wait a full week until Liverpool play again. Based on the evidence against Villa that could be a nice break to have, and in the meantime we can at least hope other people feel unhappy too. Tottenham, Manchester United, and Chelsea are all in the firing line, with the latter pair facing off in the late kickoff, while Spurs visit Swansea earlier in the day. Suso will be in the squad for Almeria when they visit Villareal, and hopefully he gets his first start in La Liga in weeks.</p>
<p>Check out <a target="_blank" href="http://espnfc.com/scores/_/date/20140119">ESPNFC's live scores page</a> or LiveSoccerTV, which has <a target="_blank" href="http://www.livesoccertv.com/schedules/2014-01-19/">a schedule along with live and repeat viewings on offer</a> through legal providers. Check your local listings and the LiveSoccer schedule page to catch up, and feel free to talk about any and all of it below. Reminder that links to illegal streaming sites will be removed immediately and repeat offenders will be banned.</p>
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https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2014/1/19/5323810/premier-league-tv-streams-chelsea-manchester-united-swansea-spurs-live-coverage-Ed-2014-01-18T21:30:00+00:002014-01-18T21:30:00+00:00Liverpool 2, Villa 2: Stupid Decisions Drop Points
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<figcaption>Michael Regan</figcaption>
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<p>Liverpool fail to completely overcome a horrendous first-half display and two goal deficit, sharing the points with Aston Villa in a disappointing match.</p> <p>A draw after trailing by two goals and producing one of the worst 45 minutes of football in awhile isn't necessarily something to turn down, but it's also not something to be proud of. Liverpool were atrocious in the opening half and improved in the second, and most of it was down to the infuriating decisions made by Brendan Rodgers to start the match.</p>
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<p><b>Liverpool 2:</b> <i>Sturridge 45'+2', Gerrard (pen.) 53'</i><br><b>Aston Villa 2:</b> <i>Weimann 25', Benteke 36'</i></p>
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<p>There was little to do other than chuckle nervously at the eleven Rodgers selected; Lucas dropped out in favor of <span>Daniel Sturridge</span>, leaving only <span>Steven Gerrard</span> and <span>Jordan Henderson</span> in the midfield and what amounted to four up front, with <span>Philippe Coutinho</span> and <span>Raheem Sterling</span> providing support for Sturridge and <span>Luis Suarez</span>. The defensive unit was unchanged, but with a setup like that, defense was always going to be an afterthought, as was the midfield.</p>
<p>And wouldn't you know it, Aston Villa came out and completely dominated, looking the only side worth scoring until they did--on the counter-attack, naturally--in the 25th minute. Liverpool caught forward, Villa break, Agbonlahor outpaces his man, and slides an easy ball along the turf for Andreas Weimann, who coasted in front of Gerrard a few feet in front of goal to tap in for the 1-0 lead.</p>
<p>It should have been more prior to that point, with last ditch defending by the hosts and the post conspiring against the visitors to keep the match close. It extended to two with just over ten minutes later, with <span>Simon Mignolet</span> flapping at an outswinging cross from Agbonlahor and <span>Christian Benteke</span> left alone by <span>Glen Johnson</span>. 2-0 and Villa were coasting.</p>
<p>Luckily Liverpool cut the lead to one in first-half injury time, with Jordan Henderson backheeling Sturridge into space and the striker getting his second goal in as many matches since coming back from injury. Lucas came on to start the second half, shoring up the midfield and giving Liverpool more control in the match, and they were level on 53 minutes via a Gerrard penalty. Suarez won the spot kick after falling easily under pressure from <span>Brad Guzan</span>; the Villa goalkeeper closed quickly but tried to pull back at the final moment, and Suarez left a trailing leg as he fell to the turf.</p>
<p>Things settled from there, with Lucas suffering a knee injury and <span>Joe Allen</span> coming on to serve a similar function deeper in the midfield, albeit in a less effective capacity. Any sense of urgency was sapped out of the match over the course of the next half-hour, with few chances at either end until the dying minutes and the points ultimately shared.</p>
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<p>Brendan Rodgers' managerial tenure is increasingly defined by what he does with Steven Gerrard in the latter stages of his career, and the first half again underlined that the second-year boss is completely failing in that regard. He is a smart man and a solid tactician, but his decision-making when it comes to his captain is utterly farcical. Gerrard is not and cannot be a deep-lying playmaker, especially in a two-man midfield, and Rodgers' insistence on trying to make him something he's not is hurting Liverpool.</p>
<p>To his credit he made the switch at half-time everyone was begging for, but Lucas' addition was unfortunately short-lived, and hopefully whatever sort of injury he incurred comes with a short layoff. It's blindingly obvious that Liverpool were far better with him present, as they were with a little less control after Allen came on, and Rodgers cannot afford to set the team up the same way he did today again if Liverpool are going to hang around.</p>
<p>There wasn't much to be positive about throughout the side; nobody at the back was close to convincing, with each culpable at one time or another for nervy moments and Mignolet whiffing helplessly on Villa's second. The midfield doesn't need any more attention, while up front Philippe Coutinho continued his downward trend and none of Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge, nor Raheem Sterling were able to influence the match consistently.</p>
<p>In the end it made for a disappointing two points lost and one of the least impressive performances at Anfield this season, and that so many of <a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Liverpool's</a> struggles early were self-inflicted makes it worse. Their successes earlier in the season mean they've got plenty of time to recover as long as today's tough lessons sink in.</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2014/1/18/5322144/liverpool-2-aston-villa-2-sturridge-goal-suarez-penalty-gerrard-stupid-things-are-stupid-Ed-2014-01-18T19:25:35+00:002014-01-18T19:25:35+00:00Liverpool 2, Aston Villa 2: First Thoughts
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<figcaption>Michael Regan</figcaption>
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<p>That was... disappointing.</p> <p align="center"><img alt="liverpool blog fc sbn" src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/images/blog/star-divide.v5e9d7f1.jpg" style="border: 5px solid white;"></p>
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<p><b>Liverpool 2</b> <i>Sturridge 45' + 2, Gerrard pen 53'</i><br><b>Aston Villa 2</b> <i>Weimann 25', Benteke 36'</i></p>
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<div align="justify">The opening of the match was almost all Villa, and man was it terrifying. They took advantage of a nearly-immobile Steven Gerrard play-acting as a holding midfielder early and often, and it made for a heart attack inducing affair for Liverpool fans.<br><br>
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<div align="justify">There was some contention over an early Liverpool free kick, with the delivery in to the box striking Leandro Bacuna in the arm. It went uncalled, but it appeared as though the referee may have not had a great view of the incident. That said, there was a corner called, so obviously he was aware of some form of contact with a Villa player. It's not a penalty you often see called so early in a match, though, so it may not have mattered even if the ref did actually see it.<br><br>
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<div align="justify">If Steven Gerrard can't even function as the deepest midfielder against a Villa side that didn't really employ much of a midfield, can we just end this experiment now?<br><br>
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<div align="justify">Villa's midfield was vaguely Stoke-esque in the first half. At least they were getting called on it more than Stoke does, but it still hurt to watch knowing how thin the depth chart is right now.<br><br>
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<div align="justify">The opening goal saw Villa just decimate Liverpool on a counter. Glen Johnson got shredded by Gabby Agbonlahor, Kolo Toure got caught upfield and couldn't get back in time to do more than slow Agbonlahor down near the byline, and Gerrard ran blindly to the far post instead of tracking Andreas Weimann's run to the center of goal, and the Austrian striker was left with a simple finish from Agbonlahor's cross. Yay.<br><br>
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<div align="justify">Villa managed to completely choke off any space for Luis Suarez, and largely hacked away at him when he did manage to get on the ball. He spent much of the first half in obvious frustration, and it did not do the side any favors.<br><br>
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<div align="justify">Villa's second goal was... something. Aly Cissokho got burned down the left, and Johnson's aimless jogging in the box set Christian Benteke free with acres of space in front of goal. Yes, Simon Mignolet should have done better either by actually making contact with the cross or by staying on his line, but if Johnson actually bothers to mark Benteke that goal doesn't happen. No matter what your 'keeper does, you cannot give a striker of Benteke's quality that kind of space near goal or you are begging to get burned.<br><br>
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<div align="justify">Fortunately for Liverpool, Daniel Sturridge was able to find the back of the net to keep the home side in the match just before halftime. Suarez, who had been dropping deeper off the front line to make Liverpool's shape more of a 4-2-3-1, finally found some space at the top of the box, and he combined with a Jordan Henderson backheel flick to find Sturridge dashing towards the far post. His finish was made simply, but it wasn't an easy goal as he was facing down a charging Brad Guzan and a challenge from a Villa defender as he took his shot.<br><br>
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<div align="justify">Rodgers made a big shift at the half, pulling off a mostly-ineffective Philippe Coutinho in favor of Lucas Leiva's defensive steel. The change was noticeable quickly, with Villa's forays through the middle of the pitch that they'd found so much success with in the first half suddenly finding no space to develop. It also pushed Gerrard up the pitch, giving him more attacking responsibility and letting the shield of Lucas and the running of Sterling and Henderson aid him somewhat.<br><br>
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<div align="justify">I'm sure every Liverpool fan took the equalizer gladly, but that was not a penalty. Brad Guzan made a terrible decision to go down in front of Suarez to try and nick the ball, and Suarez took full advantage of a minimum amount of contact to earn a penalty call. Credit to Gerrard for delivering a lovely ball for Suarez to latch on to in the box, though, and for putting a good finish on his penalty.<br><br>
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<div align="justify">I'm not sure what happened to him at halftime, but Cissokho was dreadful in the second half. He consistently failed to get back on defense, leading to some frightening counters down his flank, and when he was actively defending (usually on set pieces), his movement was poor and his "clearances" were worse. In attack, the side lost all momentum every time they wanted to go to the left, often having to wait for him to catch up. With Jose Enrique and Jon Flanagan still out, that's not a good thing to see, in any way.<br><br>
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<div align="justify">Lucas getting hurt is just the worst thing.<br><br>
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<div align="justify">That Henderson shot at 65 minutes was just.... mmmmmm. A low, driving shot towards the far post that Guzan had to make a fantastic save on to keep out, and even then he could only parry it away.<br><br>
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<div align="justify">Bringing on Joe Allen for the injured Lucas had a notable effect on the side. While defensively things still looked OK, the attacking balance that had developed was lost, with Gerrard dropping deeper again, allowing Villa to focus on cutting of the space Sturridge and Suarez had been finding earlier in the half. It was such a lovely twenty minutes of competency, too.<br><br>
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<div align="justify">Suarez did have a magnificent chance later in the half, with a free kick in the 76th minute just whizzing past the top corner. It would have been a strike worthy of goal of the week consideration had it gone in.<br><br>
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<div align="justify">Liverpool had one last gasp at a winner late in added time, but Gerrard somehow managed to cut off Suarez' run at the edge of the box. Yep.<br><br>
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<div align="justify">When you can say that you were fortunate to draw with Aston Villa at home, something has gone horribly, horribly wrong, and that's exactly what happened today.</div>
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<p align="justify">We'll be back shortly to take an in-depth look at everything that happened in today's game with the full recap. Until then, let us know your take on the ups and downs of the match in the comments, and if you haven't already, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/account/setup?community_id=373">join the community on the Liverpool Offside,</a> where we'll have full coverage and lively in-game discussion for every match this season.</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2014/1/18/5322202/liverpool-2-aston-villa-2-first-thoughts-goal-gerrard-sturridgeConor Dowley2014-01-18T15:00:02+00:002014-01-18T15:00:02+00:00Matchday: Liverpool v. Aston Villa
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<figcaption>Michael Regan</figcaption>
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<p>Team sheets, ways to watch, and live coverage as Liverpool host Aston Villa at Anfield.</p> <p><b>Kickoff:</b> 5:30PM GMT/12:30PM EST</p>
<p><b>Ways to Follow:</b> Sky Sports 1 in the UK; NBC/<a target="_blank" href="http://stream.nbcsports.com/liveextra/">NBC Sports Live Extra</a> in the US</p>
<p><b>Preview: </b><a target="_blank" href="http://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2014/1/17/5316892/liverpool-vs-aston-villa-team-news-streams-tv-preview">Liverpool v. Aston Villa</a></p>
<p><b>Comment:</b> <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/account/setup?community_id=373" target="_blank">Join the conversation on the Liverpool Offside</a></p>
<p align="center"><img alt="liverpool blog fc sbn" src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/images/blog/star-divide.v5e9d7f1.jpg" style="border: 5px solid white;"></p>
<p><b>Liverpool:</b></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Mignolet<br>Johnson Skrtel Toure Cissokho<br>Gerrard Henderson<br>Sterling Coutinho<br>Sturridge Suarez</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Bench: Jones, Kelly, Lucas, Moses, Allen, Aspas, Alberto</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Aston Villa:</b></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Guzan<br>Bacuna Vlaar Clark Bertrand<br>El Ahmadi<br>Westwood Delph<br>Agbonlahor Benteke Weimann</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Bench: Steer, Sylla, Helenius, Albrighton, Luna, Gardner, Holt</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2014/1/18/5320802/liverpool-vs-aston-villa-live-streams-tv-team-sheets-live-coverage-Ed-2014-01-18T12:30:02+00:002014-01-18T12:30:02+00:00Early Saturday Open Thread
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<figcaption>Matthew Lewis</figcaption>
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<p>Late kickoff for Liverpool means more than a few other matches available to help pass the time, including the least appealing reunion in recent memory.</p> <p>We've got a few hours to wait until Liverpool face Aston Villa, so we should probably soak it up ahead of next weekend's visit to Bournemouth in the FA Cup, which kicks off at 12:45PM GMT/7:45AM EST. Woof. Anyhow, most things today come at a reasonable enough hour other than the Sunderland v. Southampton kickoff (go Fabio!), with a host of Premier League matches on offer--including Pulis v. Pulis--to go along with the rest of the Football League and a sprinkling of offerings throughout Europe's other leagues.</p>
<p>Check out <a href="http://espnfc.com/scores/_/date/20140118" target="_blank">ESPNFC's live scores page</a> or LiveSoccerTV, which has <a href="http://www.livesoccertv.com/schedules/2014-01-18/" target="_blank">a schedule along with live and repeat viewings on offer through legal providers</a>. Check your local listings and the LiveSoccer schedule page to catch up, and feel free to talk about any and all of it below. Reminder that links to illegal streaming sites will be removed immediately and repeat offenders will be banned.</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2014/1/18/5320640/premier-league-streams-tv-schedule-open-thread-live-coverage-Ed-2014-01-18T03:00:02+00:002014-01-18T03:00:02+00:00Pre-Aston Villa Overnight Open Thread
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<p>Five questions to pass the time as we wait for kickoff from Anfield.</p> <p>1) Given the lack of available choices, any changes to the back four?</p>
<p>2) Does Gerrard continue in a deeper midfield role?</p>
<p>3) Which of Liverpool's youngish attacking midfielders make the starting line-up?</p>
<p>4) Does Daniel Sturridge start alongside Luis Suarez or is he used as an impact sub?</p>
<p>5) Final score?</p>
<p>Bonus: A friend's coworker is a die hard Aston Villa fan because he shares a name with one of their legends of yore. What's the weirdest reason you've ever heard anyone say why they became a fan of a certain team?</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2014/1/18/5318546/pre-aston-villa-overnight-open-threadStitch Invader2014-01-17T14:30:04+00:002014-01-17T14:30:04+00:00Preview: Liverpool v. Aston Villa
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<figcaption>Michael Regan</figcaption>
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<p>Team news, ways to watch, and a full preview as Liverpool take on Aston Villa at Anfield.</p> <p>The unfortunate part about January--and June, July, and August for that matter--is that things like matches and the football get in the way of the infighting and <i>told you so's</i> that the transfer window so graciously drops on doorstep. The last few days haven't been so much about actual transfers as they have tactics and willingness to add quality to the current squad, mostly because actual transfers aren't really a thing quite yet, but by Fowler we'll have to put that all on hold as we watch an actual match. Bleh.</p>
<p>Putting all that on hold for a fixture that's been more than a little underwhelming the past few seasons isn't particularly inviting; last December <a href="https://7500toholte.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Aston Villa</a> <a target="_blank" href="http://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2012/12/16/3771314/liverpool-aston-villa-goals-benteke-weimann-allen-gerrard">absolutely laid Liverpool bare</a> with swift counter-attacking football and some wonderful goals, cutting apart a tired squad and winning comprehensively after Liverpool barely rescued a draw a season earlier under Kenny Dalglish. The reverse fixture has been far kinder to Liverpool these past two seasons, but with a Villa side that's proven better away from home, it won't be an easy task.</p>
<p>Paul Lambert's seen only two wins at Villa Park since August compared to four on the road, with the victory at <a href="https://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Arsenal</a> to open the season the most memorable. Narrow wins at Norwich, <a href="https://stmarysmusings.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Southampton</a>, and <a href="https://rokerreport.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Sunderland</a> followed, and they've lost by a combined four goals away to <a href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chelsea</a>, <a href="https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Fulham</a>, and Stoke.</p>
<p>The loss to Arsenal on Monday may prove significant if it gets <span>Christian Benteke</span> back on track, as the talented Belgian broke a 12 match drought with an impressive diving header to draw Villa within a goal in the 1-2 loss. Lambert has <span>Ron Vlaar</span> back from injury and will likely include loan signing <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/sbn_pte_player/show/199657?league=football+league+championship&slug=grant-holt" class="sbn-auto-link">Grant Holt</a> in the matchday squad as well. Against Arsenal, Villa lined up with <span>Brad Guzan</span> in goal, <span>Matthew Lowton</span>, Vlaar, <span>Nathan Baker</span> (who suffered a concussion and will miss out tomorrow), <span>Ciaran Clark</span>, and <span>Antonio Luna</span> across the back, <span>Ashley Westwood</span>, <span>Fabian Delph</span>, and <span>Karim El Ahmadi</span> in the midfield, and Gabriel Agbonlahor and Benteke in attack.</p>
<p>For <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a>:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Mignolet<br>Johnson Skrtel Toure Cissokho<br>Gerrard Lucas<br>Henderson Coutinho<br>Sturridge Suarez</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Closer still to a full-strength squad, with Brendan Rodgers noting yesterday that <span>Joe Allen</span> is available and <span>Mamadou Sakho</span> will be making his return shortly as well. <span>Jose Enrique</span>, <span>Jon Flanagan</span>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110183/daniel-agger">Daniel Agger</a>, and <span>Sebastian Coates</span> remain sideline, though three of the four should be re-joining the squad over the course of the next few weeks.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">With Sakho not 100% confirmed and Agger still out I'm guessing Rodgers goes with the same central defensive pairing as he did against Stoke, and that the back line as a whole is identical. There were serious problems at the Britannia, which makes this selection worrying, but the injuries listed above leave few other options. Hopefully Sakho ends up ready to go and makes an appearance, and I suppose there's always a chance that <span>Martin Kelly</span> gets a surprise start if Glen Johnson's poor form ends up being down to the ankle problem he's suffered over the first few weeks of the new year.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">As with Sakho, a return from injury and immediate start for Allen is probably asking too much, but there's at least the possibility moving forward that we get another taste of the midfield that had struck an effective balance through parts of December. For now I expect that <span>Steven Gerrard</span> plays deeper, this time with Lucas alongside him and <span>Jordan Henderson</span> pushed further upfield.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">That type of shift means that one of <span>Philippe Coutinho</span> or <span>Raheem Sterling</span> drops out; there's always the possibility that Lucas or Jordan Henderson is sidelined in order for <span>Daniel Sturridge</span> to come into the side, but Sterling or Coutinho seem more likely. For now I'll guess Sterling, though I wouldn't necessarily be disappointed with either. If Sturridge is match-fit, he starts up front with Suarez and that's terrific, and if he's not, he comes on around the hour mark to do what he did last weekend, and that's nice too.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Kickoff is set for 5:30PM GMT/12:30PM EST, with Sky Sports 1 airing the match live in the UK and NBC/NBC Sports Live Extra carrying coverage in the US. We'll have the overnight open thread up tonight to lead into the matchday post early tomorrow, which will have lineups an hour before things get going. Hope you'll be around to join us--if you haven't already, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/account/setup?community_id=373" target="_blank">sign up for an SBNation profile</a> and stick around.</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2014/1/17/5316892/liverpool-vs-aston-villa-team-news-streams-tv-preview-Ed-