Rafael Benítez has said that Liverpool's confidence and Champions League credentials will be under scrutiny at Villa Park tomorrow. The Spaniard is considering whether to give the midfielder Alberto Aquilani a second start in four days.
Liverpool are five points behind Aston Villa after their Boxing Day win over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa's subsequent loss to Arsenal but they have not won successive league matches since September and have several injury problems. Fábio Aurélio and Yossi Benayoun missed the Wolves match, with calf and hamstring problems, and there are doubts over whether Aquilani, who made his full league debut against Wolves, and Fernando Torres can start games in such quick succession.
"After the win over Wolves we will have more confidence and that will be very good for the whole team but we know we have to keep winning to get fourth place," said Benítez.
"We must discover if we have the confidence now to win there and to get closer to the top of the table. But we know Villa are a very good team who are ahead of us, and one we must beat. To get back to where we want to be we must start winning games in a row. If we do that at Villa it will be easier for us to keep our confidence higher."
Aquilani said he had been taken aback by the pace of the game against Wolves, who had a man sent off after 52 minutes.
"I really enjoyed the game as it was important for me; I want to improve my fitness," said the Italian, who has been dogged by injury this season. "It was so different to anything I have experienced, as it was so quick and you never really had much time. The football we played was so fast. The most important thing, however, was that we won."
Benítez denied that his guarantee, earlier in the season, of a top-four finish had increased the pressure on his players.
He said: "People keep asking me why I said recently that I would categorically guarantee that we will be in the top four – but what do you expect from me? I have to say that.
"We have confidence and we have to do it because we are a top side."
Liverpool are five points behind Aston Villa after their Boxing Day win over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa's subsequent loss to Arsenal but they have not won successive league matches since September and have several injury problems. Fábio Aurélio and Yossi Benayoun missed the Wolves match, with calf and hamstring problems, and there are doubts over whether Aquilani, who made his full league debut against Wolves, and Fernando Torres can start games in such quick succession.
"After the win over Wolves we will have more confidence and that will be very good for the whole team but we know we have to keep winning to get fourth place," said Benítez.
"We must discover if we have the confidence now to win there and to get closer to the top of the table. But we know Villa are a very good team who are ahead of us, and one we must beat. To get back to where we want to be we must start winning games in a row. If we do that at Villa it will be easier for us to keep our confidence higher."
Aquilani said he had been taken aback by the pace of the game against Wolves, who had a man sent off after 52 minutes.
"I really enjoyed the game as it was important for me; I want to improve my fitness," said the Italian, who has been dogged by injury this season. "It was so different to anything I have experienced, as it was so quick and you never really had much time. The football we played was so fast. The most important thing, however, was that we won."
Benítez denied that his guarantee, earlier in the season, of a top-four finish had increased the pressure on his players.
He said: "People keep asking me why I said recently that I would categorically guarantee that we will be in the top four – but what do you expect from me? I have to say that.
"We have confidence and we have to do it because we are a top side."
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