We have reached the final international break of the year in the Premier League and things are looking good for Aston Villa.
Having beat Fulham 3-1 at home in the Premier League on Sunday, Aston Villa are 5th in the table on 25 points, leaving them just 3 points off leaders, Manchester City.
While talk of winning the Premier League title is too much, Aston Villa are beginning to think about the possibility of finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League next season.
Can Unai Emery take Aston Villa to the Champions League for the first time since the 1982/83 season?
Aston Villa won the 1981/82 European Cup, so this is a team with history in the Champions League.
However, they have not played in the competition for over 35 years, so, should Aston Villa finish in the top four this season, it will be the first time many fans have seen them in Europe’s premier competition.
There is no doubting the quality of Aston Villa when playing at home this season.
They have recorded some excellent home victories under the guidance of Emery, including 4-0 over Everton, 6-1 over Brighton, and 4-1 over West Ham.
Aston Villa have been fantastic in-front of goal when playing at Villa Park in the Premier League this campaign, scoring a total of 23 goals in only 6 matches, at an average of 3.83 goals per game.
Aston Villa have also been strong defensively at Villa Park in the league, conceding 5 goals in 6 matches.
However, the problems have come when playing away in the Premier League. Aston Villa have won only 1 of their 4 most recent away Premier League fixtures going into the international break.
The win was an excellent 1-0 victory at Chelsea, which shows what Aston Villa are capable of on the road but the 2-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest plus the 1-1 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers could prove costly in the race for the top four.
There was also a 3-0 loss at Liverpool and while a defeat at Anfield does not fall into the same category as a loss at Nottingham Forest, the manner of the defeat was concerning for Aston Villa.
There was also a heavy 5-1 defeat at Newcastle United at the beginning of the season, which set the tone for some of their other away performances in the Premier League this campaign.
Aston Villa have scored only 2 goals in their last 4 away Premier League matches in comparison to 16 goals in their 4 most recent home league games, so they clearly need to improve on the road.
With away matches against Tottenham Hotspur, Brentford, and Manchester United before the new year, Emery will be keen to improve because their away form could cost Aston Villa the top four this season.
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