Manchester City’s dismantling of Liverpool on Thursday was certainly evidence of Jurgen Klopp’s men enjoying the few days after their Premier League triumph – and it’s hard to blame them.

However, not only is this now out of Liverpool’s system, but the Etihad hammering will act as a serious wake up call for Klopp’s side, and I expect them to be right back to their best at Anfield as they welcome struggling Aston Villa.

I can see this being a very bad time to play Liverpool, as there’s absolutely no way their standards will be allowed to fall again, and with City’s record points haul still attainable, this is a game they’ll be looking to win comfortably.

Villa have only mustered two points from their four games since returning, and now face a very tricky run of fixtures, starting this Sunday, and I fear they’ll be on the receiving end of Liverpool’s frustrations.

I’ve seen very little to suggest Villa have what it takes to remain in the Premier League, and while some semblance of rotation can be expected from Liverpool, the response and backlash from what happened on Thursday will still be severe.

Liverpool to win with a -1 handicap is almost is just a shade under evens, while a bigger win, with a -2 handicap, is also worth backing, at 5/2.

The gulf in quality between these two is vast, and now that they’ve been given a little bit of a rude awakening, they’ll be they’ll be right back on their A-game this weekend.  

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Liverpool -1 - 2pts @ 10/11
Liverpool -2 - 1pt @ 12/5