Previews

Rafa looks to build on win

Author: John Harris
Date: 29/12/2009
Football betting

Liverpool will be hoping to continue their forward momentum against Aston Villa on Tuesday evening while Bolton Wanderers host Hull City.

The inconsistent Reds won their last game against Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 on Boxing Day, but Rafael Benitez's side have a different proposition in front of them at Villa Park.

The under-pressure Spaniard will be wanting 2010 to be more prosperous than the last 12 months as his side are well off the pace at the top of the league and unlikely to finish in the top four according to the sportsbooks.

Can Liverpool get the better of Aston Villa on Tuesday? - Latest Football Betting

The Anfield club have also been knocked out of the Champions League at the first stage, which will do little to appease a disgruntled board, especially with the club rumoured to be around £250million in the red.

However, the five-times European champions have inspirational duo Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard back in the first team after a string of injuries and they have the quality to win the game on their own.

But with Villa in fine form, England boys James Milner, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young, alongside John Carew, form an imposing attacking threat.

Javier Mascherano, who was dismissed during the Reds' shocking 2-0 loss at Portsmouth on December 19, is suspended.

For the visitors, Villa boss Martin O'Neill will still be without long-term absentees Wilfred Bouma (ankle) and Curtis Davies (dislocated shoulder).

Meanwhile, Phil Brown takes his Hull City side to Bolton Wanderers with both teams desperately needing points to haul them away from the foot of the Premier League table.

Brown spent a successful period at the Reebok Stadium under former boss Sam Allardyce before embarking on his own managerial career and goes to the Lancashire club looking to improve his memories of the club.

November was a positive month for Brown's men as they briefly eased their relegation fears. They picked up eight points from a possible 12, but they have found December tougher going and are back in the thick of it.

A win for Bolton is a must if they are to give themselves some breathing space going into the new year. Gary Megson's team have a poor home record but a game against the Tigers should be winnable for his men.

The Trotters are still without the services of Mustapha Riga (hamstring), Gavin McCann (ankle), Sean Davis (cruciate ligament) and Joey O'Brien (knee) for the clash.

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