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Alan Shearer has predicted Liverpool will fall to a fifth straight defeat in the Premier League today, with Paul Merson’s verdict not much better for Arne Slot's side.
The Reds host Aston Villa later, and will be desperate to end their awful run of form. Having been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Crystal Palace on Wednesday, Liverpool has now lost six of its last seven games in all competitions.
That’s a run that includes a four-game losing streak in the league, with the Reds having not picked up a single point since the Merseyside derby win over Everton in September.
Having already fallen seven points behind league leader Arsenal, Liverpool’s title defense is in danger of being well and truly derailed should its poor run continue today, with the Gunners having the chance to go 10 points clear ahead of kick-off at Anfield.
And former Newcastle and England striker Shearer isn’t confident about the Reds’ chances of turning things around today, having predicted yet another defeat for Betfair.
“You’ve got one team in terrible form, losing six of their last seven, and one team in really good form winning six of their last seven,” Shearer said.
“There’s an argument for both sides. It really is a massive game, but particularly with the way Liverpool were defeated in midweek.
“Liverpool can't afford another defeat and if that does happen, then the alarm bells will really start to ring. I don’t know what to expect from Liverpool, there’s part of me that thinks it can’t continue this run, because they’ve got that much quality.
“I don't like what I’m seeing at Liverpool right now though - they're not competing and they're all over the place. I think Villa might take advantage of the pressure Liverpool are under.
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“When you gamble in midweek, the one thing you don't want is to be battered. That filters into the football club and there’ll be an expectation for them to bounce back.
“It wouldn't surprise me if they did but I'm going to go for Villa because of the way football is, how it works sometimes, and the form that they're in.”
Although Merson disagrees with Shearer’s prediction, the former Arsenal midfielder’s verdict doesn’t offer much more hope for Liverpool.
Predicting a 1-1 draw for Sportskeeda, Merson said: “If you are looking at the form table, Aston Villa are at the top and Liverpool are languishing towards the bottom. Unai Emery's men will go to Anfield on Saturday with a lot of confidence.
“Part of me goes, 'at some point Liverpool will start winning games again'. But when you lose six out of seven games, something is wrong. And it's not just the games you are losing, it's also the confidence.”
Merson added: “Liverpool should forget about the Real Madrid game next week. If they lose that one, they can still qualify for the Champions League knockout stages.
“But defeat to Aston Villa could be the end of their hopes of retaining the Premier League title. That would put them 10 points behind Arsenal with a game against Manchester City coming up. Not the best situation, and I worry for Liverpool because I don't see them beating Villa this weekend.”
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