Good afternoon and a very happy Easter Sunday to you all! Thank you for joining Sports Mole for what could prove to be a pivotal day in the relegation battle as Aston Villa take on Liverpool.

Let's start by taking a look at Aston Villa. Today's hosts dropped into the relegation zone yesterday after Wigan beat Norwich 1-0, but a draw or win would be enough to see them move back above the Latics into 17th place.

Of course, a win would be the favoured result, not least because Wigan will have a game in hand over Paul Lambert's men after this match, so Villa will want to put as much distance between themselves and 18th place as possible. Their goal difference is the joint worst in the league, which effectively puts them a point behind Wigan as things stand.

Villa come into this one in pretty good form. They have won three of their last five matches, including their last two against fellow relegation contenders Reading and QPR. They also beat West Ham last month, and their only two losses since January have come against Arsenal and Manchester City.

Their recent form is a far cry from the woeful run of form they suffered a couple of months ago. Lambert's side went eight matches without a win, a spell that included an 8-0 defeat to Chelsea. Just before that dreadful run, Villa impressed everyone by deservedly beating Liverpool 3-1 at Anfield.

Liverpool, meanwhile, finally looked to be gaining some sort of consistency before the international break until Southampton beat them 3-1. That result pretty much ended any hopes Liverpool had of sneaking into the top four, and they now sit 10 points off fourth-placed Chelsea.

However, the Reds have still won four of their last five games in all competitions so come into this game in relatively good form. Those wins included impressive results against Swansea, Wigan and Tottenham, during which Liverpool played some lovely football.

A win for Liverpool today would see them close the gap on Merseyside rivals Everton to just three points, but the Toffees would still have a game in hand over Brendan Rodgers's men. It would also move them four points clear of West Brom, who missed the chance to leapfrog Liverpool into seventh yesterday.

Villa, meanwhile, could make a lot more difference to the table with a positive result today. A win would not only see them move above Wigan and out of the relegation zone, but they would also leapfrog Sunderland into 16th and move level on points with 15th-placed Newcastle.

A draw would also see them move out of the bottom three, but their poor goal difference would ensure that they stay below Sunderland, although they would be level on points with the now-managerless Black Cats.

TEAM NEWS: The team news is in for both sides and Liverpool welcome back Pepe Reina and Jamie Carragher to their starting lineup, with Brad Jones and Martin Skrtel dropping to the bench. Full team news coming right up...

ASTON VILLA STARTING XI: Guzan; Lowton, Vlaar, Baker, Bennett; Westwood, Bannan, Sylla; Agbonlahor, Weimann, Benteke

ASTON VILLA SUBS: Given, N'Zogbia, Delph, Dawkins, El Ahmadi, Bowery, Lichaj

LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Reina; Johnson, Enrique, Agger, Carragher; Gerrard, Lucas, Henderson, Downing, Coutinho; Suarez

LIVERPOOL SUBS: Jones, Sturridge, Coates, Suso, Sterling, Shelvey, Skrtel

So, what can we make of those teams? Well, there are no surprises as far as Villa are concerned. The absence of Charles N'Zogbia is the biggest question mark regarding Paul Lambert's selection for me. On form, N'Zogbia can be a match winner, but he is very inconsistent and can be a bit of a passenger at times. Perhaps Lambert expects to be on the back foot at times playing against a team of Liverpool's quality, so has opted for a slightly more defensive option.

The dangerman will, as always, be Christian Benteke. The powerful striker can be nigh-on unplayable when playing at his best, and Liverpool will be fully aware of what he can do. Benteke ran the match between these two sides earlier in the season, inspiring Villa to a shock 3-1 win at Anfield.

Defensively, Villa are certainly not the strongest. They have a largely inexperienced backline and they could come under a lot of pressure this afternoon. However, captain Ron Vlaar is a huge presence for them and he will be looking to lead by example today.

As far as Liverpool are concerned, I'm slightly surprised at Rodgers's decision to leave Sturridge on the bench. The England striker has made a good start to his time at Liverpool and a goal for his country last Friday should have boosted his confidence nicely. Instead, Rodgers has opted to play one up front, reverting to the old formation that didn't provide them with as much success earlier this season.

However, that one man up front is no ordinary player. Luis Suarez will be looking to add to his ever-growing tally of goals this afternoon, and the Uruguayan is more than capable of doing it. For me, it is between him and Gareth Bale for the Player of the Season award and, at the moment, Suarez just nicks it.

Suarez does come into this match amidst a sea of controversy following his alleged punch while on international duty, but that is nothing new for Suarez. If anything he thrives on controversy and he is the type of player who can really take full advantage of the lack of experience in Villa's defence. I can't imagine there are too many players in world football harder to play against than the Uruguayan.

Elsewhere in the Liverpool side, Philippe Coutinho has made a brilliant start to his time at the club, and he will probably play in the hole just behind Suarez today. Downing is starting to find some form for the club too, while I don't need to say anything more about Steven Gerrard. The Liverpool skipper has the ability to win matches, be it with a pinpoint through ball or a goal of his own.

Defensively, Liverpool have looked shaky at times this season. Last year, Martin Skrtel won the club's Player of the Season award but he has struggled to replicate that form this campaign and has been dropped as a result.

Both sides have players capable of making the difference today, then, but there is no doubting that, overall, Liverpool have more quality in their ranks than Villa. Still, that doesn't guarantee the Reds victory today, as was seen at Anfield when these two sides met earlier this season.

I have already mentioned that 3-1 victory for Villa, which was probably their best performance of the season, but what does the longer history of this fixture tell us? Well, Liverpool haven't beaten Villa in the last two meetings, last doing so in December 2011 courtesy of goals from Craig Bellamy and Martin Skrtel. The biggest result between these two in recent times came in 2009 when Liverpool thrashed Villa 5-0 thanks to a Steven Gerrard hat-trick and goals from Dirk Kuyt and Albert Riera.

Overall, these two sides have played each other 161 times, with Liverpool winning 78 and Villa 48. Recent history points to just three Villa wins in the past 22 meetings, but all three of these came in the last seven matches between the two sides.

You'd have to say that Liverpool are favourites for this one, but Villa will be very confident of walking away with all three points I'm sure. Their last two games, the need to get a result to move out of the bottom three and their 3-1 win at Anfield earlier this season should all give the hosts the belief and the impetus to really give Liverpool a good game here today.

PREDICTION: This is quite a tough one to call as Villa have hit a bit of form of late and it depends which Liverpool side turns up to be honest. They rarely suffer two disappointing defeats in a row, though, so I am going to go for a win for Brendan Rodgers side, but Villa won't make it easy. I'll say 2-1 to Liverpool.

The bad news for Villa is that their home form this season has been poor. They have only amassed 16 points from their 15 games at Villa Park so far this season, a tally that is the joint-second worst in the Premier League. Only bottom of the table QPR have won fewer points in front of their own fans.

Liverpool's away record, meanwhile, is pretty good. They have 18 points from 15 games on their travels, which is the sixth-best record in the league so far this season. They have been inconsistent away from home, however, winning four, drawing six and losing five of those matches.

There is no doubt that Villa need the win more today. They are in very real danger of being relegated this season and the old adage of being 'too big to go down' has fooled many clubs into finishing in the bottom three. Liverpool will still harbour some hopes of finishing in a European spot this season, though, so will look to keep those ambitions alive with a win today.

All eyes will be on Benteke and Suarez today. The two front men are the jewels in the crown of their respective clubs, and if either side are to win this one, it is likely that one of them will have a big part to play.

Ron Vlaar has just issued his final rallying call and we're just about ready to go at Villa Park.

Here we go! Villa kick us off.

Stewart Downing immediately gets the ball and goes for goal from just outside the box, but his effort is blocked. It's safe to say that the home fans aren't going to make life easy for the former Villa man this afternoon. He is being jeered every time he gets the ball.

Suarez has seen a lot of the ball in these early stages, which could be a worrying sign for Villa. If he gets into this match then they will have a real battle on their hands to keep him quiet.

CHANCE! The first chance of the day falls to Aston Villa! Bennett clips a ball into the box and Benteke looks set to nod it goalwards, but he seems to misjudge it and misses the ball! That was a really good chance if Benteke could have got more on his effort.

Coutinho tries to go alone and he beats two or three players, showing good pace and skill in the process, but eventually he takes a heavy touch and loses the ball. Promising signs from the young playmaker, though.

Liverpool have started the brighter of the two sides. They have looked threatening going forward and are closing Villa down very quickly when they lose the ball.

SHOT! Downing's corner is terrible and barely leaves the floor, but Glen Johnson manages to make something of it, eventually feeding it back out to the winger, who then passes it to Suarez. The Uruguayan sells one defender with a fake shot before trying to poke an effort into the top corner, but his unorthodox effort goes over the bar.

PENALTY SHOUT! Suarez and Johnson exchange passes and it eventually falls back to the full-back, whose effort strikes Vlaar on the arm on its way through. The away fans shout for a penalty but there isn't a great appeal from the players. It would've been harsh had that been given.

Liverpool are really putting Villa under a lot of pressure in these early stages and, if it carries on like this, it won't be long before we get the first goal.

Carragher shows a touch of class by pinging a Gerrard-like pass behind the defence towards Coutinho, but the Liverpool midfielder just can't reach it as it skims away into the keeper's arms.

CHANCE! Oh my word, what a chance that is! Lowton threads a magnificent cross straight into the fabled corridor of uncertainty and Agbonlahor latches on to it but, from just six yards out, he hits it straight at Reina, who makes a good save. That was a golden opportunity and the hosts should be in front. What a ball by Lowton, though.

Downing whips a dangerous cross into the box and Vlaar completely misses the ball with his attempted clearance. The motion was just enough to put Coutinho off, however, and the Brazilian just can't make contact at the far post.

SAVE! Johnson puts in a lovely disguised pass to Suarez inside the box, and the Uruguayan hammers a powerful shot towards goal. Guzan is equal to it, however, and he tips it over the bar.

The Villa crowd rose as one in the 19th minute there to salute Stiliyan Petrov, who was diagnosed with Leukaemia a year ago yesterday. He has been remembered at every home game since.

CHANCE! Coutinho slips the ball behind the defence to find Suarez, who only has the keeper to beat. Baker does very well to put the Liverpool man under pressure from behind, however, forcing him to scuff his shot wide.

Villa have certainly come into the game more in the last 10 minutes or so, but Liverpool still look like the team most likely to break the deadlock.

SHOT! Agbonlahor goes for goal from all of 30 yards out, but he drags his low shot harmlessly wide. If you can't score that chance earlier you're not likely to be able to score from 30 yards!

Villa threaten to break free as Benteke feeds Weimann, but his touch is poor, allowing Gerrard to get back and give the ball to Reina, who clears.

I was just about to say Benteke had started to get involved in this match! A long ball from Westwood finds Agbonlahor, and he produces a nice little lay off to Benteke, who smashes a first-time half volley past Reina from the edge of the area. Fine finish.

Just before that goal, Suarez had engineered space for himself to have a shot at goal, turning the defence inside out before letting fly, but he didn't get enough on his shot and it was easy for Guzan.

CHANCE! Big chance for the equaliser there! Suarez controls the ball but lets Gerrard take over as the Liverpool skipper bursts into the box. He looks to be through on goal, but Baker slides in at the last second to block the shot. Very good defending.

How big could that goal prove to be in the grander scheme of things? As things stand, Villa would be moving level on points with 15th-placed Newcastle.

SHOT! Suarez is good, but this is an ambitious effort even for him. He spins away from his man and spots Guzan off his line, so goes for goal from at least 40 yards out. He's done it before, against Norwich, but this time his strike goes wide of the target, much to the delight of the home fans.

SHOT! A free kick is aimed at Benteke at the back post and the Villa man shows great strength and ability to get a header in despite being very tightly marked. It loops goalwards, but Reina catches it with ease.

CHANCE! That's a howler by Bannan, who inexplicably tries an ambitious first time pass but only succeeds in playing Suarez right through on goal. The Uruguayan has time but Guzan stays big and saves his effort with his legs.

SAVE! Guzan is called upon again there and it is another excellent save. Gerrard goes for a trademark pildriver, and his effort is moving in all sorts of directions in the air. Suarez also jumps up just in front of Guzan, making his one-handed stop even more impressive.

Just the one minute of added time at Villa Park, and it looks as though Villa will take a lead into the break.

All in all, that is a very good first half for Villa. Liverpool started the match on top but Villa grew into the game and matched their more illustrious opponents for large parts of it. They take a narrow lead into the break, but it could have been even bigger had Agbonlahor scored what was a gilt-edge chance with the scores still at 0-0.

Agbonlahor went some way to redeeming himself for this miss by setting up the opening goal, however. He teed Benteke up, and the big Villa striker hammered an effort past a helpless Reina from the edge of the box. He is vital to Villa and, if they are to stay up, no-one will deserve more thanks than him.

One man who may deserve as much thanks as Benteke, however, is Brad Guzan. The Villa keeper has saved his side on a number of occasions already this season and he made two very good saves towards the end of the first half to preserve Villa's lead, first from Suarez and then from Gerrard.

As far as Liverpool are concerned, they started the match well but have been short of their best today. Still, Suarez has carved out a couple of chances and a player of his quality isn't likely to be kept out for too much longer if the Reds can continue to get the ball to him.

Villa have not kept a clean sheet so far in 2013, so a big second half awaits their defence. If they can shut Liverpool out then they will move out of the relegation zone and up to 16th place, level on points with Newcastle. It's getting crowded down at the bottom!

Paul Lambert will just be asking for more of the same from his side. They seem to know exactly how to play against Liverpool and if they can put in a repeat performance of that first half then they could well win this one today and do the double over Brendan Rodgers's side.

Rodgers, meanwhile, will want more from his players. They haven't played particularly badly, but they are capable of playing a lot better. Suarez has been involved quite a bit but it is clear that he holds the key to unlocking Villa's door, so Rodgers will want his side to get the ball to him whenever possible.

Right, the players are back out for the second half and we're almost ready to go again.

Liverpool get us back underway at Villa Park, a big 45 minutes awaits both sides here.

That is a clinical break from Liverpool. Gerrard sends a long ball to Coutinho down the left and the youngster spots Henderson bursting through the middle. He threads an inch-perfect pass to the Liverpool man, who has a lot of time to think about his finish before clipping the ball past Guzan.

YELLOW CARD! Gerrard mis-times a sliding tackle and is subsequently booked for the challenge. The Liverpool skipper is clearly not happy about the decision, but he didn't get the ball there.

Still no clean sheets in 2013 for Villa, then. Conceding the goal so early in the second half will have been a big blow to Paul Lambert.

SHOT! Weimann holds the ball up well before laying it off to Agbonlahor on the edge of the box. He has Sylla in acres of space over on the right but doesn't see him and goes for goal himself, slicing his effort high and wide.

Gerrard is upended by Sylla in midfield but the ref waves play on. To be fair to the Liverpool skipper he immediately gets to his feet and tries to help out defensively.

CHANCE! That is a massive chance for Liverpool to take the lead. Suarez threads a fine pass through to Coutinho, who has timed his run superbly. The Brazilian has plenty of time to pick his spot with only Guzan to beat, but he sends his shot inches wide of the post when he really should have scored.

A Liverpool attack breaks down and Villa immediately look to counter attack. Agbonlahor carries the ball into the Liverpool half before passing to Weimann, whose cross is just too far in front of Benteke.

OFF THE POST! Liverpool come within the width of the post to taking the lead! Downing lays the ball off to Johnson on the edge of the box, and his effort deflects off a defender, leaving Guzan rooted to the spot. The keeper is very grateful to see it bounce back off the post.

Penalties don't come much clearer than that. Baker goes for a rash sliding tackle inside the box but Suarez is clever enough to poke the ball past him before being brought down by the challenge. Lee Mason has no choice but to point from the spot, and Gerrard dispatches the penalty despite Guzan guessing the right way.

CHANCE! Big chance for Villa to get the equaliser! The ball is pulled back to Weimann about eight yards from goal, and the striker has space and time to pick his spot, but he blazes it over the bar when he should have scored.

ASTON VILLA SUBS: That will be Weimann's last action as he is replaced by Fabian Delph. Barry Bannan also makes way and on comes Charles N'Zogbia in his place.

A free kick is clipped into the Liverpool box and nodded down to Delph, who is waiting on the edge of the area. He gets perfect contact with the ball but Suarez blocks it and it flies out for a corner.

OFF THE LINE! Having given Liverpool the lead, Gerrard has just preserved it with a magnificent goalline clearance. Benteke's header from the corner looked destined for the top corner but Gerrard, running back towards his own goal, somehow nods it over the bar. Brilliant defending from the Liverpool skipper.

Liverpool are on top at the moment and they have been for most of this second half. Villa need a massive last 20 minutes or so if they want to move out of the bottom three today.

SAVE! Lowton looks to pick out Benteke in the box, but his ball in is over-hit. It turns into more of a shot on goal and Reina has to back peddle very quickly to tip it over the bar.

Johnson tries to send Suarez through with a ball over the top, but he puts too much on it and Guzan collects it.

The game has become quite scrappy in the last few moments, with both sides struggling to hold on to possession for a sustained period of time. Liverpool are looking fairly comfortable, but they know that a one-goal lead isn't the safest.

Villa finally do get a prolonged period of possession, but they aren't going anywhere with it. The crowd voice their frustration as another pass goes back to Guzan, but Villa are struggling to find a way through an organised Liverpool team at the moment.

ASTON VILLA SUB: Paul Lambert makes his final change of the match as Karim El Ahmadi comes on for Sylla.

LIVERPOOL SUB: Brendan Rodgers responds with a sub of his own, which marks the end of the match for Coutinho. Raheem Sterling comes on for him.

SAVE! Sterling looks to make an instant impact having been released by Suarez's pass. He takes on his man before whipping a cross/shot into the middle that Guzan is forced to keep out.

Villa have 10 minutes to find a goal that would make a big difference to their chances of survival this season. It could be time to throw the kitchen sink at Liverpool very shortly.

CHANCE! That is Suarez at his brilliant best as he skips into the box before nutmegging Baker to find himself one-on-one with Guzan. He tries to take it round the keeper, who gets a vital touch to disrupt the Uruguayan, who eventually regains control before trying to dink it over Guzan, but the Villa keeper plucks it out fo the air.

Liverpool are enjoying the lion's share of possession at the moment and Villa don't look like creating anything going forward. Lambert has to be careful about going too gung-ho, but he may not have too much choice as we enter the closing stages.

This is slightly better from Villa. They were inevitably going to put Liverpool under some pressure towards the end of this one and the visitors are inviting it as the put 10 men behind the ball. Still no sign of Villa getting a way through, though.

Gerrard tries an ambitious long ball with the outside of his boot with Sterling looking to use his pace to get behind the defence, but the pass is too long and Guzan collects.

The fourth official signals three minutes of stoppage time at the end of this match. Can Villa pull anything out of the bag here?

YELLOW CARD! Westwood picks up a late yellow card for a nasty-looking high challenge on Henderson. His studs caught the knee of the Liverpool man there and he can have no complaints about being booked.

DISALLOWED GOAL! Villa think that they have a late equaliser as Benteke latches on to a header to volley past Reina from close range, but the celebrations are cut short by the linesman's flag.

The referee brings an end to the match and Villa remain in the bottom three having now played a game more than 17th-placed Wigan. Things are looking bleak for Villa, who missed the chance to distance themselves from the relegation mire this afternoon.

Everything was looking good for the hosts at the halfway stage as they went into the break 1-0 up, but an early goal by Jordan Henderson in the second half levelled things up, and Villa never really recovered. Luis Suarez won a penalty for the Reds shortly afterwards, which was duly dispatched by Gerrard.

Liverpool move back to within three points of Merseyside rivals Everton with the win, but they have played one game more than the Toffees. They also close the gap on fifth-placed Arsenal, which now stands at five points.

Brendan Rodgers's side showed good character to come back from what was an even first half. They dominated the second 45 minutes and getting the early goal was crucial as it seemed to stop Villa playing the sort of football that they were producing in the first half. Overall it was a deserved win for the Reds.

Right, that's it from me this afternoon. Thank you for joining Sports Mole for today's match, and have a very happy Easter Sunday. I will leave you with Liam Apicella's match report and be sure to stick around for the match analysis, which will be up within half an hour. Now go and enjoy your chocolate! Goodbye!