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Anfield could witness both the best and worst kinds of fives on Saturday evening, as a defensively vulnerable Liverpool side hosts an in-form Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Liverpool, currently on a worrying downward spiral, are at risk of losing five consecutive Premier League matches for the first time in their history. Meanwhile, Aston Villa are chasing a fifth straight league victory at the home of the reigning champions—a feat that would further underline their remarkable improvement under Unai Emery.

Liverpool’s emphatic Champions League win over Eintracht Frankfurt, where they fired five past the Bundesliga side, proved to be a false dawn. Their domestic struggles have persisted, with recent defeats to Brentford in the Premier League and Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup (albeit with a heavily rotated squad) deepening the sense of crisis at Anfield.

Arne Slot’s team...