Two sides dumped out of the EFL Cup in midweek look to continue their recent Premier League improvement as Aston Villa aim to extend their three-point cushion over Fulham.
Match News and Current Form
Aston Villa’s six-match unbeaten run (W5, D1) came to an abrupt halt on Wednesday, with their 3-0 drubbing by Bournemouth denying them a place in the EFL Cup quarter-final. Unai Emery’s side now look to bounce back immediately and should be relatively confident after becoming the first team to beat Manchester City in the league this term last week (2-1). That was also Villa’s first home league win of the season (D1, L2) and continued a promising trend that’s seen the Villans win eight of the last ten league fixtures in the months of October and November (D1, L1).
Despite also being knocked out of the cup in midweek, pressure on boss Álvaro Arbeloa’s shoulders has lifted somewhat after he guided Fulham to their first two league wins of the season across the previous two rounds. A pair of 1-0 successes against promoted sides Hull and Coventry lifted the Cottagers out of the Premier League relegation zone, and they now go in search of a third successive clean sheet victory in the top-flight for the first time since April 2019. Achieving that on the road looks a tall order for a Fulham side who were winless in eight successive league trips prior to winning at Coventry in their last such fixture (D4, L4).
Head-to-Head History
Villa have only lost once across the last 18 Premier League meetings here (W12, D5), while manager Emery has won eight of his nine meetings with the Cottagers (L1). Fulham did win the most recent H2H 1-0, and now seek consecutive Premier League victories over Villa for only the second time.
Hot Stats and Streaks
The side scoring first went on to win six of Villa’s seven league games this term.
Three of Villa’s four home league matches this season produced over 2.5 goals and saw both teams score.
Seven of Fulham’s last nine competitive away games saw their opponents on the day receive no yellow cards.
All four of Fulham’s away league matches this term were goalless at half-time.
Key Players to Watch and Missing Players
Villa’s Nicolas Jackson has scored as many goals across his last four Premier League appearances (G4), as he had across his previous 24 games in the competition. Fulham’s Josh King enters the round with more touches in the opposition box than any other Premier League player (52), though his two goals this term both came in 3-2 defeats.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has missed Villa’s last three games. Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon remains suspended.
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Betting Analysis
Fulham’s new-found defensive stability could stifle Villa into a game that may produce under 2.5 goals.
Author: Matthew Billon