Cisse in for Crouch
Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez made only one change from the side which beat Anderlecht in the Champions League for the Barclays Premiership clash at Aston Villa.
Djibril Cisse, who scored the third goal in the 3-0 triumph against the Belgians, came into the side in place of former Villa striker Peter Crouch.
Crouch, signed from Southampton for £7m (€10.4m) in the summer, has still to net his first league goal for the Reds.
Villa boss David O’Leary dropped out of form left-back Jlloyd Samuel as he looked to improve on a sequence of only one win in the last 12 league matches.
Gareth Barry dropped back from midfield to fill Samuel’s position with Eirik Bakke restored in the centre of the park.
Thomas Sorensen, who had recovered from a back complaint, replaced Stuart Taylor between the posts in the other change from the starting 11 beaten 3-1 at Manchester City on Monday.
Aston Villa: Sorensen, Delaney, Mellberg, Ridgewell, Barry, Davis, McCann, Bakke, Milner, Baros, Phillips. Subs: Samuel, Hendrie, Angel, Taylor, Moore.
Liverpool: Reina, Finnan, Hyypia, Carragher, Riise, Gerrard, Alonso, Sissoko, Luis Garcia, Morientes, Cisse. Subs: Dudek, Kewell, Crouch, Warnock, Zenden.
Referee: S Bennett (Kent)
