Aston Villa – Fulham : Preview & Prediction
Talk of a possible Champions League qualification had been on the rise over the previous week following Aston Villa’s incredible run of form (G5) that saw a disappointing 1-1 draw with Brentford as the latest chapter. Their character cannot be doubted as they came from behind in the final minutes to take a point and extend their unbeaten run to nine games, with the Villans surely capable of punching a ticket to Europe one way or another with seventh place being good enough.
Returning to Villa Park should be momentum enough as none of the last four clubs to visit this venue have picked up points or even scored. In fact, Villa’s current run of four consecutive home games won without conceding is a Premier League (PL) record for the team, although the last time they achieved that feat in the top flight they ended up losing the following fixture 6-2 in 1983.
Marco Silva’s Fulham have spent the last couple of rounds adding to the misery of relegation-threatened sides by beating Everton and Leeds, a pair of victories that could have breathed life into the Cottagers’ slim hopes of a ticket to European competition. Those wins ended a run of five consecutive defeats for Fulham, although they face a tougher test at this venue, where they have lost in three of their last four visits.
Despite this, Fulham could take confidence from the fact that only the only Top 6 side to have beaten them this season is Villa in the last league clash between the two clubs, although their overall PL record this season against teams of that ilk is dismal (G1, P8). In any case, don’t rule out an upset from the visitors as only two sides have a higher winning percentage than their 36% in PL engagements on rival soil started as “underdogs” (G5, E2, P7).
Players to watch: Ollie Watkins scored the last goal in Fulham’s visit to this venue last season, and after a run of five goals in his last five appearances for Aston Villa, he could set a PL career goalscoring record with yet another strike. Harry Wilson has put his name on everyone’s lips by scoring his first two goals of the PL season in the last two rounds, and has never lost when on target for Fulham (G10, E2).
Key stat: Throughout the PL season, Fulham have conceded more away goals after 75 minutes (eight) than before halftime (seven).
Aston Villa – Fulham : Betting Tips
Aston Villa – Win Odds: 1.70
