The rarely-seen midfielder is Villa’s best engine room option when fit.
Aston Villa face a challenging trip to Anfield to face Liverpool in their final away game of the 2022/23 season, with the chance to edge closer to a European finish in the top six.
Unai Emery has enjoyed a successful first half-term as Villans boss on his return to the Premier League, with more highs to play for with just two games remaining.
His side will be looking to build on their previous result which took them level on points with their opponents Tottenham Hotspur in sixth in a 2-1 win at home.
Although the visitors registered 51% possession on the day, Villa were relentless in attack, having fired eight shots at goal, with four on target, as per Sofascore.
It was a performance that epitomised just how much the Spaniard has improved the squad and one they would undoubtedly like to replicate on Saturday.
It will be a tough ask given it’s at Anfield, as Jurgen Klopp’s side remain in the chase for Champions League football in a heated race for the top four, though it looks like the Reds will have to settle for Europa League football, the pressure will still be on.
With a flourishing attack expected against a fired-up Liverpool side, it may be that the four-time UEL winner makes changes to solidify his midfield, luckily the options are there for rotation.
Should Boubacar Kamara start for Aston Villa against Liverpool?
It’s been a season tainted by injury for Villa midfielder Boubacar Kamara, however now the Frenchman is fit and in contention to start, Emery must play him from the offset at Anfield.
Once hailed as a “phenomenon” ex-teammate by Rolando, the 23-year-old has been magnificent for the Midlands club in midfield and has formed a budding partnership with Douglas Luiz, when he has been available.
The Marseille-born player has averaged 2.2 tackles per game this season, as per Sofascore, as well as maintaining a passing accuracy of 85.5% from 34.3 successful attempts per game.
When fit, Kamara is an integral part of Emery’s midfield and could be the defining factor on Saturday to determine if the visitors can come away with a result at Anfield.
In his previous game against Klopp’s side in December, the £100k-per-week star won five out of his six attempted ground duels, made two tackles and one interception in the 85 minutes he played, via Sofascore.
He played 22 minutes of the victory against Spurs, coming on from the bench. He won half of his ground duels and completed seven of his eight attempted passes. which shows his competency in midfield when called upon.
The 23-year-old should replace John McGinn in midfield to assist in withstanding the threat in the middle of the park, providing a more defensive head than the Scotsman playing alongside Luiz, in a bid to overcome the massive challenge that lies ahead in Merseyside this afternoon.
