Aston Villa V Swansea – Saturday, 15 September 2012 (Kick-Off: 15:00)
Betting Selection: Draw @ 23/10 (BetVictor)
It was in this very fixture last season whereby Swansea secured a landmark first away victory in the Premier League (at the tenth time of asking, mind!), winning 2-0 at Villa Park thanks to goals from wingers Nathan Dyer and Wayne Routledge. This season, however, it has taken them no time at all – a resounding 5-0 victory away to QPR on the opening day was the perfect way for Michael Laudrup to announce himself in the Premier League, and it would be fair to say he has loved every minute since.
A convincing 3-0 win at home to West Ham was to follow, before a 2-2 draw with Sunderland put a stop to the Welsh side’s impeccable start. The latter fixture was also at home and while many had the Swans down as favourites before kick-off, due to their blistering start to the campaign, manager Laudrup could not have been more thrilled at the final whistle. That was because his side battled gamely to earn a share of the spoils, coming from a goal down on two separate occasions, and were even pressing for a winner in the closing stages despite playing the final quarter of the game with a man less after seeing defender Chico dismissed late on.
That draw with Sunderland will have done little to dent the confidence of this Swansea team, which must be overflowing by now. Their wingers (Nathan Dyer & Wayne Routledge, the two scorers in this fixture last season) in particular have been outstanding, while Jonathan De Guzman appears a real coup in the midfield; his set-piece deliveries are sublime. So to see them priced at 23/10 here, when you consider that they are playing a team who appear to be drained of all self-belief right now following a retched start, is astonishing.
Indeed, whereas his opposite number must be thinking this Premier League management lark is a doddle, Paul Lambert is finding out the hard way why some of his predecessors found the Aston Villa hotseat too damn hot. Soundly beaten in their first two matches, away to West Ham (1-0) and at home to Everton (1-3), Villa dug deep to produce their best performance of the Lambert reign so far away at Newcastle last time out. It was, though, only good enough for a share of the spoils at St James’ Park, although Villa do at least now have a platform from which to work from; they’re no longer pointless first and foremost, while we now know that Lambert and his boys do have an accomplished performance in them.
While not spectacular, I saw enough at Newcastle to suggest Villa can build on the hard-earned point they picked up by registering a first result at home this weekend. Though by result I mean draw, as Swansea’s bubble has still to be burst and while confidence remains sky-high, Laudrup’s soaring Swans will remain a potent threat regardless of who they are facing.
So, Villa will need to have their wits about them on Saturday; they need to improve ten-fold on their last defensive display at home, which saw them ship three in the first 45 minutes against Everton, while going forward it is imperative they keep Darren Bent inundated with opportunities. A resurgence in form from Charles N’Zogbia would be most timely, while we may even catch a glimpse of Villa’s latest big-money recruit: £7million-Belgian Christian Benteke, who at 6ft 5in is an intriguing prospect to say the least.
Prediction: Aston Villa 2-2 Swansea (14/1 with Skybet)
Match Odds: Aston Villa 7/5; Draw 23/10; Swansea 23/10 (Odds with BetVictor)
