Aston Villa host Southampton on Saturday in a relegation six-pointer. Southampton are just inside the Premier League’s bottom three, while Villa sit one place above the drop-zone thanks to their superior goal difference.
Both teams have picked up 15 points from 17 games this season, so we’re set for a close encounter at Villa Park.
Dean Smith’s side come into this game on the back of a 5-0 thrashing over an unrecognisable Liverpool team. With the Reds’ entire first-team away in Qatar at the Club World Cup, Villa cruised into the semi-finals of the EFL Cup by beating Liverpool’s youngest ever starting eleven.
Still, Smith will be extremely happy with the way his players handled themselves during the strange and potentially tricky circumstances. Reaching the last four of a cup competition this season is a huge success for Villa, but they must now turn their attention to climbing up the Premier League table.
Southampton can leapfrog Villa with a win on Saturday, and the south coast side will be desperate for all three points after a string of mixed results.
A draw with Arsenal was followed by consecutive victories over fellow strugglers Watford and Norwich. But back-to-back defeats to Newcastle and West Ham have halted Saints’ progress.
Aston Villa have also lost their last three league games. However, they will be happy to return home this weekend. No team has picked up fewer points on the road in the top-flight this term.
In contrast, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men have managed to claim more points on their travels this season. Saints have been dismal at St. Mary’s, so they will fancy their chances at Villa Park.
With that being said, Southampton haven’t beaten Villa since 2013. In the previous six matches between the two teams, Villa have won three, while there have also been three draws.
Interestingly, both teams have scored in each of the last five meetings. This trend looks set to continue on Saturday.
Danny Ings has scored nine of Southampton’s 18 league goals this season, so expect to see him and the centre of the action at Villa Park.
Jack Grealish has been Villa’s standout performer in recent weeks – netting four goals in his last eight appearances while registering two assists.
We’re set for a high-scoring encounter this time around. Both sides’ defensive frailties have been exposed this season, but there should be plenty of attacking talent on display.
Forebet predicts that both sides will score over 1.5 goals in what is set to be an open game. The points are likely to be shared.
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