Three Aston Villa players who could be dangerous on Monday

Aston Villa didn't find their way into the top four of the Premier League by accident- there are some great players wearing Claret and Blue this season. Let's talk about the three who are most likely to hurt Liverpool when the two teams clash this Monday.

Ollie Watkins

There's no reason to keep you all in suspense- Watkins was never going to be left off of this list. The striker is one of the true breakout performers of this Premier League season, as he's stepped up his level from productive player to bona fide star.

With 19 goals and 12 assists, nobody has directly contributed to more goals in this Premier League season than Watkins, the true focal point of the Villa attack.

If Liverpool are still mathematically alive in the league race when the match kicks off, Watkins will likely have a tough assignment as he'll be asked to take on Virgil van Dijk, Alisson, and any one of Liverpool's other solid centre-backs, but he's capable of scoring on just about anyone, even if he doesn't have a great record against top teams this season.

Leon Bailey

Watkins isn't the only attacker having a breakout season for Villa this year- Bailey had never cracked double digits in goals or assists in any league season before this one, and now he's on the verge of both, with 10 goals and nine assists so far.

Unlike Watkins, who has had the benefit of playing up top consistently, Bailey has played at just about every attacking position, providing some much-needed versatility for Unai Emery's squad.

Bailey scored the lone goal in Villa's memorable win over Manchester City back in December, and three days later, provided the assist in another upset over Arsenal.

He joined Watkins with a late goal against Arsenal once more a little under a month ago, and could be a threat to take down another big club in his final home appearance of the season.

Emiliano Martínez

It's not often that a goalkeeper is thought of as "dangerous," but given Martínez's track record and Liverpool's recent specific woes, he could provide as much of a threat as anyone on Villa's roster.

He's been mildly injured, but should be ready to go, and it's probably not a coincidence that Villa's form has really slipped while he's been out.

Martínez has proven to be the ultimate big-match goalkeeper, having recorded clean sheets against Chelsea, Manchester City, and Arsenal- twice- just this season, as well as some truly dominant performances with Argentina at the 2022 World Cup.

Paired with a Liverpool team that has often struggled to turn chances into goals, it wouldn't be shocking to imagine a game where Liverpool largely dominates, but Martínez turns away plenty of shots on target.