Aston Villa

The Club:
There is a feel that Aston Villa may be able to start with a breath of fresh air this season. It was a very difficult season last year both on and off the pitch, and bringing in Alex McLeish to replace Gerard Houllier was perhaps not the smartest bit of business which the club could have done. The club really look as if they could go either way in Aston Villa Premier League Betting. With a couple more players and an attacking ethos, they could push on hard for another top half finish, but equally with a couple of injuries they look fragile enough to be drawn into a relegation battle quickly. The one thing helping Aston Villa and new boss McLeish, is that they have one of the easiest starts to the Premier League season of all clubs. They will have navigated their way through eleven matches with having faced only one of the top six teams from last year. So early points will be crucial for the club.

Players/Manager:
The experience which Gerard Houllier was supposed to bring last season didn’t quite marry too well with the crop of young players. There was also the problem with Houllier’s health which didn’t help, but in the end, and there is a big question over the fit of new boss Alex McLeish. What is working in Aston Villa’s favour is that they are a good young side, and they just need some nurturing. That is all. There was a big furore when former Birmingham boss Alex McLeish decided to take the short move across the city to take over at Villa Park. It wasn’t a popular move. Now, McLeish is experienced and can assemble a good future for Villa given patience by the board and fans, but he is not exactly an exponent of pretty football. Quite he opposite in fact. One of the things which hurt them year was a lack of punch going forward. Their approach work was quite good at times, as they used width well with the likes of Ashley Young (who has moved on to Manchester United), but there wasn’t enough clinical power up front. To try and solve that they have brought in Charles N’Zogbia from Wigan on a five year deal to give them a better target up front. The club have also brought in Shay Given to give some stability between the sticks as well, but the have seen the departure of Stewart Downing who moved north to Liverpool. Aston Villa are a work in progress and that has to be appreciated by fans. They picked themselves up towards the end of last season and that should be something better to build upon. It will depend on the nature of McLeish and how he approaches this. He can’t be too defensive and suck the natural talent out of this side.

Last Season: 9th
Aston Villa suffered a long season last year, looking as if they were relegation candidates at one stage, because they just couldn’t get things together. They did very well to pull themselves up to ninth in the table at the end of the day, including a triumphant season end with victory over Liverpool. Villa only suffered one defeat in their last eight matches, which points to them being a lot better this season. They need a solid start, one which gives them a platform to build on, and their young players will have had that little bit more experience under their belt. They suffered a lot of injury problems last year as well, which forced their young players into action and they grew in stature over time. Definitely need to tighten up at the back, that is the main area which needs to be addressed as they were far too leaky there.

2011/12 Aston Villa Premier League Betting Projection:
You will expect Alex McLeish to figure something out in terms of making Villa a better defensive unit, as he is known for his somewhat stifling, defensive tactics. We are uncertain as to what kind of fit that McLeish really is going to be here. He did get Birmingham relegated twice in three years, and so naturally Villa fans are going to be worried by a lack of adventure. Villa’s defence is really not that great, and McLeish will probably try and compensate for that with formation and going just one up top. That’s going to be dangerous ground to be treading, as Villa fans need to be impressed. They do have Darren Bent up front and really need to feed him. There is potential there, but certainly nothing higher than a mid table finish. Not with McLeish in charge. The Scot has tried to be adventurous in pre season friendly matches but that is going to count to nothing when backs are against the wall in the Premier where it counts.

Finishing Position: Bottom Half of Table

Relegation Odds:
20/1 at SkyBet

First Three Fixtures
August 13th: Fulham v Aston Villa
August 20th: Aston Villa v Blackburn
August 22nd: Aston Villa v Wolves

BACK TO 2011/12 PREMIER LEAGUE GUIDE

The doors of opportunity could really be opening up for Manchester City in the FA Cup. They will have seen the likely quarter final clash on the cards between Manchester United and Arsenal, and see that one of the main obstacles in their way will be falling out of the competition. This means that City could well be worth taking for an Outright Winner right now before all of that happens and they are best priced at 4/1 with William Hill to do so. City have a few injury problems keeping Mancini from selecting a full strength side, but they should have enough to win this one at Eastlands. City again showed on the weekend, why they are not yet Premier League title winners, with a thoroughly laborious performance against Fulham which ended in a draw, and pretty much blew their chances of winning the league. Manchester City just looked as if they were generally lacking the desire and enthusiasm to inject any kind of pace into a match which they should have won, especially after a great opener for them from Mario Balotelli. Anyway, while Aston Villa are a side which are finally beginning to improve under Gerard Houllier, the Villains will still be underdogs in the match. Mancini needs to light a rock behind his side, because when they get going, they can easily win games. There is still too much caution in the side to be truly great, but with the defensive unit they have, they should be able to keep Villa at bay. Even with the likes of David Silva (who may return) and Adam Johnson on the sidelines, City should be able to create enough to squeeze through here. Workmanlike performances could just be the key to City gaining big success in the FA Cup this year. Not too much whiff of an upset here, so would happily plump for a Manchester City -1 Asian Handicap for 6/5 at Bet365, the split on the stake should mean it is relatively risk free as City should win.

Manchester City to win: 4/6 at Bet365
Draw: 14/5 at Totesport
Aston Villa to win: 5/1 at Victor Chandler

Manchester United v Aston Villa Betting Tip & Odds: Well, Villa are finally showing some signs of improvement, but it is unlikely to be enough to go to Old Trafford and cause an upset. Manchester United are rolling along and dealing with everything which is getting thrown at them. United at home should be a banker for three points, and you have to look in that direction. They should have too much to offer up front against a Villa back line which isn’t renowned for keeping themselves out of trouble. Villa rattled United when they met earlier in the season, and still the Red Devils wouldn’t break. Not going to be great value in backing a United win, so it’ll be worth looking at Berbatov in the goalscorer markets. For the match outcome though, head to an Asian Handicap of Manchester United -1.75 for 6/5 at Bet365, paying out a half win for a two goal victory, full win on a 3 goal margin.

Manchester United to win: 1/3 at Paddy Power
Draw: 9/2 at Bet365
Aston Villa to win: 10/1 at SkyBet

EPL Match Preview: Manchester United will just not lie down. They were down at out at half time in last week’s away match against Blackpool, but then that old United resilience shone through in the last twenty minutes of the match, and their goals (including a brace from Dimitar Berbatov) saw the Blackpool hearts broken. All of Manchester United’s troubles have come on the road this season, and time and time again they have been backed into a corner, only for them to manage to find a way out. It is almost something which you come to expect from them on their travels this year, and they were at it again when they fell behind at Southampton in the FA Cup. It took a second half turn around to get them out of that mire as well. But, for all their ups and downs on the road this season, they still remain unbeaten at the top of the Barclays Premier League. It is quite remarkable, as prior to the season kick off, they did not look as sure fire a bet, with the level of quality throughout the squad, much poorer than it has been for years. They are still, despite their unbeaten record, far from being a great team, but the other teams challenging for the title race haven’t lived up to that mantle either. United don’t have the flair or passing quality of Arsenal, and they don’t have the quality in midfield that Chelsea can line up with, but despite all that they still get the job done. Does a home match against Aston Villa have the potential of being the one which ends their unbeaten run? No, even though Villa played a really great match earlier in the season when United went to Villa Park. Villa pulled out a two goal lead, but yes, inevitably, Manchester United managed to claw their way back to earn a point. Back in United’s back yard, you have to expect a home win.

Whatever Dimitar Berbatov (7/2 at SkyBet as First Goal Scorer) has been having for breakfast, Chelsea fans will want some for Drogba and Anelka. The Bulgarian is simply on fire, and unstoppable this season, and this was after much criticism last season, that he was lazy, unreliable and wasn’t fit to replace Rooney. How tables turn. Wayne Rooney is having a tough season, and seems to be a shadow of his former self. There is no indication of where the next goal is going to come from him, and with Berbatov carrying the can, Mexican striker Javier Hernandez (9/2 at SkyBet as First Goal Scorer) is really pushing hard with his goal scoring feats, to replace Rooney in the line up. Hernandez always seems to be right there when United need something special to salvage the game. He has done it time and time again, and he was a great capture by United in the summer. You have to think that United will find a way through the Aston Villa back line, although it was a back line which managed to keep out Manchester City in a recent match. However, this is at Old Trafford, where Manchester United  have won 65% of all matches at home between the two sides. They didn’t win in the corresponding fixture last year though, when Villa stole all three points, but that result really went against the trend of how this fixture has generally gone. United have had a lot of success against Aston Villa in recent times, and that, backed up with their record this season, it all points to a convincing home win. There is also a vast gulf in the goal tally’s when the teams play at Old Trafford, with United having scored over 100 more goals in the fixture than the visitors. Sounds as if more of the same is on the cards.

Aston Villa, despite being stuck in a relegation dog fight for a fair share of the season, really are not that bad a side, and finally are showing their true colours and are improving. Gerard Houllier is the man charged with taking them forward, and they went in with a big splash to get Darren Bent from Sunderland during the January transfer window, and that was a vital coup. Villa have been one of the lowest scoring teams in the Premier League all season, and one of the major reasons why they were in trouble. They have not been helped along this season with their terrible defence either, which are having a hard time not shipping and giving away goals. Aston Villa have climbed up to thirteenth in the league, and are giving their fans a lot more optimism than a few weeks ago. They are now unbeaten in their last three matches to their credit, and finally Houllier looks as if he is getting things together at the club. Villa have a lot of good young players at the club, and because of a tough break with injuries, they have suffered this season. However, maybe the youthfulness is beginning to pay off now, as more experienced is gained. Villa actually play some good football, and like to use width. They have a bit of quality in Ashley Young, Mark Albrighton and now with Darren Bent up front along with Gabriel Agbonlahor, they should have more firepower to ensure their safety. Villa really do have enough to play their way out of trouble, however, they aren’t going to do it at Old Trafford.

Villa did great last season, taking points of United in both games, including a victory at Old Trafford. They are not going to do it this season, as they are far less organized than they were last year. Still, this is good testing ground for them, to see just how much they have improved. They don’t have a particularly great record against United, and back to back wins there in the league? Unlikely. Villa won’t be helped by the fact that their away form has been pretty miserable, winning just two matches on their travels this season in the league. They have been beaten seven times in their twelve away matches, but as mentioned, they have shown better signs, going unbeaten in their last three road trips, including a 3-3 tie against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. There is still the feeling that Villa are a work in progress, and heading north to Old Trafford is just going to be too much for them. When you have conceded an average of 2.25 goals per match on the road this season, Old Trafford is pretty much the last place you want to go.

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Manchester United v Aston Villa Premier League Betting Statistics

Last 5 Head to Head
Aston Villa 2, Manchester United 2
Aston Villa 1, Manchester United 1
Manchester United 0, Aston Villa 1
Manchester United 3, Aston Villa 2
Aston Villa 0, Manchester United 0

Manchester United have an 92% win percentage at home in the league this season
Aston Villa have a 17% win percentage away from home in the league this season

Manchester United are on a streak of 12 home games with no defeat
Aston Villa are on a streak of 3 away matches with no defeat

Manchester United have scored 34 goals, and conceded 7 at home
Aston Villa have scored 11 and conceded 27 goals in their away matches

Manchester United average 2.8 goals per match at home this season
Aston Villa average 0.9 goals per match away from home this season

Manchester United have scored the bulk of their goals in the 31-45 and 76-90 minute brackets
Aston Villa have scored the majority of their goals in the 76-90 minute bracket

Manchester United have opened the scoring in 69% of their matches
Aston Villa have scored first in 50% of their matches

Manchester United 2010/11 top scorer: Berbatov, 19 (14 of them at home)
Aston Villa 2010/11 top scorer: Downing, 5

Manchester United 2010/11 Season Form: P23 W14 D9 L0 GF51 GA21 Pts 51 (1st)
Aston Villa 2010/11 Season Form: P24 W7 D7 L10 GF27 GA40 Pts 28 (13th)

Saturday 29^th January

English FA Cup

Aston Villa v Blackburn Rovers

One of five all Premier League ties takes placed at Villa Park on Saturday as a rejuvenated Aston Villa play host to in-form Blackburn.

Gerard Houllier has had to endure a tough few months since taking over as Villa boss after Martin O’Neill’s resignation. Player unrest, unhappy supporters as well as a clear downturn in results, had some pundits calling for his head. That was a fortnight ago and that’s a long time in football. After a club record fee of £24m was paid for Darren Bent, and a couple of back to back wins against Manchester City and Wigan, things are beginning to look a lot brighter. The FA Cup always brings with it excitement and hope and that’s exactly the way Villa fans will be looking at it. With little or no chance of getting anywhere near the European spots at the end of the season, and already knocked out the League cup, the supporters need something to look forward to and Houllier and his players will be under no illusions that a home tie against a club such as Blackburn is an excellent opportunity to advance.

Blackburn Rovers are the latest Premier League club to have been taken over by an obscenely rich consortium. Sam Allardyce paid the price for not being attractive enough in the new owners’ eyes and was swiftly replaced with a relatively unknown in Steve Kean. Kean was Chris Coleman’s assistant for the last seven years but has been entrusted with the task of forcing Blackburn into European contention in the coming years. He has started relatively well as the club have climbed to seventh in the table and have won three of their last four in all competitions.  He has looked the strengthen as well with new arrivals in the shape of Jermaine Jones from Schalke and a former fans favourite, Roque Santa Cruz who was brought in from Man City. With the money available to Kean set to soar in the summer, it will be a matter of time before the Blackburn Rovers squad is transformed and the new arrivals will flood the squad.

When you consider the players still playing for Villa, then it’s a massive surprise to see them struggling as they have been. Ashley Young, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Stewart Downing are all English internationalists from recent seasons and have undoubted quality. As well as Bent, Jean Makoun has also arrived at the club to bolster the squad for the remainder of the season. Currently on their best run of the season to date with three wins and a draw from their last four, things are beginning to look up.

Rovers have a pretty poor record when travelling to the Midlands to take on Villa in recent seasons. Last year’s 1-0 victory was their first success in eight. The sides met in the FA Cup last season as well, in the third round. Aston Villa came out on top that day with a 3-1 victory.

I’m a firm believer in the ‘form is temporary, class is permanent’ line of thinking. Villa have plenty of class about them and even without Darren Bent, who is cup tied as he played for Sunderland in the previous round, I still fancy the home side to come out on top in what promises to be an entertaining match.

My selection: Aston Villa to beat Blackburn Rovers

Best odds available: 10/11 available with Stan James

Scottish League Cup

Celtic v Aberdeen

Either Celtic or Aberdeen can take a step closer towards the first piece of silverware in Scottish football this season as they clash at Hampden Park.

Celtic face Aberdeen just one week on from their league match at Celtic Park last Saturday. The home side ran out 1-0 winners thanks to a goal from Anthony Stokes. Since that match, both sides have recorded victories with Celtic brushing aside 3rd placed Hearts 4-0. It was a scintillating performance by the Hoops who turned in their best performance of the season on Wednesday. Stokes notched a double whilst James Forrest and Paddy McCourt also got on the score sheet. It made it 12 games unbeaten for Neil Lennon’s side, with seven wins and five draws. Another impressive statistic is the fact that they have only conceded one goal in their last eight matches. It’s an astounding record and one which they will hope can continue. Two young men can take a lot of credit for the shutouts with goalkeeper Fraser Forster and centre half, Thomas Rogne, at the heart of the defence.

Aberdeen were featured a couple of weeks ago in these previews and the job Craig Brown and Archie Knox have done thus far, is growing. Apart from the defeat at Celtic Park last Saturday, the Dons were victorious against St Mirren 2-0, whilst they also defeated Inverness Caley Thistle last time out by the same score line. Brown was pleased with the effort, organisation and discipline his side showed in defeat to the current league leaders last weekend. However, they rarely threatened the Celtic goal and struggled to make any clear cut chances. If they wish to be successful tomorrow, it’s something which has to change. One man who is capable of causing problems at the National stadium tomorrow, is Nick Blackman. The young striker followed Brown to Aberdeen from Motherwell and scored his first goal for his new club on Wednesday night. He has proved he can mix it with the best in the SPL in the early part of the season but the Dons will have to do without his services as he has previously played in the competition with Motherwell.

Lennon may look to shuffle his pack tomorrow as he has predominantly used the same players in recent weeks. He will have to replace James Forrest who misses out through injury, but there is no shortage of players ready to step into the wide position. Freddie Ljungberg has yet to start a match since joining earlier this month; McCourt will feel his goal on Wednesday should see him restored to the starting XI whilst Niall McGinn played the full 90 minutes last weekend. However, they may all be thwarted by the signing of Kris Commons from Derby. The Scottish internationalist signed on Thursday and will be eager to impress his new manager, colleagues and supporters.

Celtic have an enviable record over Aberdeen in recent seasons and they definitely have momentum going into tomorrow’s match. Neil Lennon won a treble as a player at the club and is only too well aware of the importance of this competition in the quest for all three trophies in his first season as manager. With such strength in depth going forward, and the confidence of players such as Stokes and his strike partner Gary Hooper, I’m predicting Celtic to win this win with a bit to spare.

My selection: Celtic (-1) to beat Aberdeen

Best odds available: 5/4 available with BlueSquare

Aston Villa v Blackburn:  An interesting all Premier League clash in the fourth round of the FA Cup at Villa Park. Villa of course went shopping and landed striker Darren Bent from Sunderland, who made an immediate impact by scoring the winner on his debut against Manchester City in the league. It has been a tough season for Villa, and Gerard Houllier really hasn’t had the big impact at the club as was hoped. Villa were a solid top six team in the league last season, and at the moment, they still have worries about relegation in the back of their mind. However, they seem to be getting things together just a little bit better. What Villa are, is a young side, and that was sort of forced upon them by a terrible catalogue of injuries this season. They have had to go young, and with every match comes experience, and they have looked quite a youthful and exciting team at time, playing some attractive football. The biggest problem with them, is that they have lacked a punch up front. With Emile Heskey missing from action a lot, and Gabriel Agbonlahor also absent for a large part of the season, Villa just have not had the goals in them, and remain one of the Premier League’s lowest scoring teams. Their defensive record has not been much to shout about either, shipping 40 goals in their 24 matches. Villa have picked up back to back wins in the league now, and there are clear signs that they are going to be ok in the end. The arrival of Darren Bent should only help their cause further, being able to grab those vital goals when needed. Blackburn have also shown some improvement since their takeover. Rovers are up to eighth in the Premier League at the moment, and since being taken over, there is an air of stability at the club. They will probably spend in the summer, and Steve Kean, who stepped in when the new owners got rid of Sam Allardyce, has been charged with managing the team permanently. Blackburn have won three of their four last games now and look as if they are going to improve. Tough to pick a winner out of this one, but home advantage here, and a spirited performance in front of their home crowd, should just squeeze Villa through. Probably worth looking at coverage on a draw as well here too.

Aston Villa to win: 5/6 at Paddy Power
Draw: 11/4 at Victor Chandler
Blackburn to win: 18/5 at Victor Chandler

Outright FA Cup Winner Odds
Manchester United: 4/1 at Unibet
Arsenal: 5/1 at Unibet
Manchester City: 5/1 at BetFair
Chelsea: 6/1 at BetFred

Aston Villa v Manchester City Betting Tip & Odds: Manchester City are favourites and rightly so. They have had to take the back seat to Villa in terms of spending at the moment, but they will be the happier team. They are growing stronger all the time, and showing off their title credentials, especially on the road. They are just solid in the midfield and at the back (apart from a couple of recent rush of goals conceded), and with Tevez scoring freely and taking chances, they will continue to get better now Dzeko is there. Will Darren Bent make a different to Villa? In the long run maybe, as they are crying out for a genuine goalscorer. They aren’t good enough at the back though and half a chance is all that City need to close out a game. City have won the last two meetings between the sides convincingly. Worth a Manchester City -1 11/5 Asian Handicap for 11/5 at Bet365

Aston Villa to win: 11/4 at Boylesports
Draw: 12/5 at BetFred
Manchester City to win: 23/20 at William Hill

EPL Match Preview: Well, this could be the match of two new signings up front really. Aston Villa have landed the services of England striker Darren Bent, in a surprise move from Sunderland. Bent dropped from a top six club to a relegation threatened team, but the striker said that he understands Villa are in a false position and he has a chance to really spearhead a new revolution at Villa Park under Gerard Houllier. The Frenchman has broken the Aston Villa spending record in getting Bent from Sunderland, but the Black Cats boss Steve Bruce hasn’t been particularly happy about the way Houllier went about his business in getting Bent to move. Naturally Bruce would be a bit aggrieved at losing a player who has consistently found the back of the net for Sunderland, and it really must be doubly bitter to see Bent leave at a time when Sunderland are actually doing pretty well. Anyway, back to the matter at hand, and that is Aston Villa’s safety in the Premier League. Darren Bent is primed and ready to go for his new club, and he will be charged with the responsibility of breaking down one of the best defences in the league. Gerard Houllier hasn’t stopped the spending, grasping the opportunity to put his own identity on the team at last, with Jean Makoun waiting for clearance to play. Houllier also gets back Ashley Young  into the side.

Villa haven’t been good at all, it’s fair to say, and over their last ten Premier League matches, they have won just once, a Midlands derby at home against West Brom. The problem with Villa is that their defence can rarely stand up to any kind of attack, and they have leaked 39 goals this season, the second highest amount in the Premier League. They have also had their problems up front, with a very lean attack, and wide man Stuart Downing is top scorer with just 5 goals. It highlights a lot of the problems at Villa Park, but with the experience Houllier can bring to the table, and with a big of cash in the right place, Villa should be ok. They have actually played some attractive football, but they have been just too lightweight up front and too disorganized at the back. The arrival of Bent should at least cure one of those problems, and he will fit into quite a young Aston Villa side, which means that there is a lot of potential and ambition surrounding the club. Villa need to find a way to keep some clean sheets, starting right here, or else they are not going to be in this match at all, not with the threat up front Manchester City are now carrying with their new signing.

That signing is Edin Dzeko from Wolfsburg. He has already has his run out in Manchester City colours, and paired up front with Carlos Tevez, the blue half of Manchester suddenly carry a lot more attacking threat. Bizarrely though, now they are more threatening up front, something has happened at the back, and their highly impressive defence has been breached five times in the past two matches (one league and one FA Cup game). It started with a thrilling 4-3 win over Wolves really and that is the most important one, as we’re focusing on league form. Prior to that City had notched up three clean sheets, and while City conceding more than two goals in a match is not going to break out too often, it means they are going to continue to be a threat at the top of the Premier League. They have won four of their last five league matches now, a negative display, much in the defensive mould we have seen them in this season, ending in a 0-0 draw at Arsenal the only disturbance on that run of form. City are level with Manchester United at the top of the Premier League, but have played two games more. All they can do is keep on winning and hope United slip up somewhere down the line. Can City win this one? Yes, because they have shown that they really know how to get the job done on the road in the league this season, suffering only two losses. They are undefeated in their last six away matches, and are steadily showing that they are coming together as title contenders.

City will be bolstered by the return of Nigel de Jong, Gareth Barry and Kolo Toure, along with Edin Dzeko after they all missed the FA Cup win over Leicester in the week. There’s no Mario Balotelli though, as he is still out injured, but that hasn’t stopped him stirring up Manchester United and Barcelona and Jose Mourinho in his unabashed confident manner. It was Balotelli who netted a hat trick when City met Villa at Eastlands at the end of December. That match ended up 4-0 and Villa simply weren’t in the game. WE really should expect more of the same, and Carlos Tevez is still in the form of his life. Clearly one of the best players in the Premier League by a country mile, and now that he has a new strike partner with a formidable goal scoring record in Dzeko, City could go from strength to strength, and as for poor Villa, well their big splash into the January transfer market could all get washed away under a cloud of not being able to pick up any points at home on Bent’s debut.

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Aston Villa v Manchester City Premier League Betting Statistics

Last 5 Head to Head
Man City 4, Aston Villa 0
Manchester 3, Aston Villa 1
Aston Villa 1, Man City 1
Man City 2, Aston Villa 0
Aston Villa 4, Man City 2

Aston Villa have an 36% win percentage at home in the league this season
Manchester City have a 55% win percentage away from home in the league this season

Aston Villa are on a streak of 2 home matches with no win
Manchester City are on a streak of 6 away matches with no defeat

Aston Villa have scored 15 goals, and conceded 13 at home
Manchester City have scored 19 and conceded 9 goals in their away matches

Aston Villa average 1.3 goals per match at home this season
Manchester City average 1.7 goals per match away from home this season

Aston Villa have scored the bulk of their goals in the 76-90 minute bracket
Manchester City have scored the majority of their goals in the 0-15. 46-60 and 61-75 minute brackets

Aston Villa have opened the scoring in 45% of their matches
Manchester City have scored first in 60% of their matches

Aston Villa 2010/11 top scorer: Downing, 5
Manchester City 2010/11 top scorer: Tevez, 14

Aston Villa 2010/11 Season Form: P22 W5 D7 L10 GF24 GA39 Pts 22 (17th)
Manchester City 2010/11 Season Form: P23 W13 D6 L4 GF37 GA19 Pts 45 (2nd)

Sheffield United v Aston Villa is a match between two struggling sides near the foot of their respective divisions. It hasn’t been smooth sailing for Villa boss Gerrard Houllier on his return to English club management, as Villa have slipped into the relegation zone. They gave themselves renewed hope for better things to come after holding Chelsea to a thrilling 3-3 draw at Stamford Bridge, but went and lost the very next at home to Sunderland. That is three losses in the last four games for Aston Villa now, and they have lost six of their last eight league matches. There is probably a long season ahead for Aston Villa, but there is a lot of a hope still there, as they play good football and have a young, exciting crop of players there. They just have not quite got the quality to perform week in and week out just yet, and it is hurting them. A trip to Bramall Lane is not going to be an easy one for them to get past now, although their opponents are not faring much better. The two sides last came together in the FA Cup back in the 2004/05 season, when it was the Blades who came out on top with a 3-1 win. Overall though, Villa just edge things in the FA Cup meeting, winning three of their five encounters.

This could be a bit of light at the end of the tunnel for Sheffield United, who really need to kick start their season. They have a good record against higher ranked teams in the FA Cup, and have won three of their last four matches in the third round against teams from England’s top flight. However, Blades boss Micky Adams is going to be struggling to put out a side as he lost striker Richard Cresswell last Monday, just to add to a list of suspended and injured players. This means that Sheffield United will be a weaker force than they would have hoped to have been for the visit of the Premier League side. It is a bit of a coin toss as to where this match is going to go. You would expect Villa just to have that little bit extra quality, but they are struggling badly for form. But then so to are Sheffield United, who have lost three of their last four in the league, and six of their last eight league matches. If they raise their game enough, then the Blades could sense an upset here. Between them, they have amassed just three wins in their last sixteen league matches, so it is going to be a matter of who is braver on the day. The force really should be with the home side in ties like this, and with two poor defences, and goal shy forwards, the likelihood is, that this will go back to a replay, although it may be worth edging Sheffield United in your betting.

Sheffield United to win: 28/11 at Unibet
Draw: 5/2 at Victor Chandler
Aston Villa to win: 6/5 at Bet365

Asian Handicap Betting Tip: Sheffield United +0.25 for Evens at Bet365

Chelsea v Aston Villa Betting Tip & Odds: Chelsea should win this one. Neither team are in great form, but Aston Villa’s is just worse than Chelsea’s. Chelsea will be relieved to have picked up a win over Bolton to end their winless streak, and if they are going to get back on the title campaign, they have to beat a miserable Aston Villa. Chelsea are still not looking too sharp going forward, so there is unlikely to be a heavy defeat for the visitors, to the magnitude of the 7-1 thrashing last season, but looking at an Asian Handicap tip, there have been a couple of things to weigh up. How well with Aston Villa defence stand up? Will the Chelsea forwards make Villa’s poor defence look good? Is this the right match for Chelsea, facing the Premier League’s leakiest defence? For the tip, we are leaning towards the latter. Chelsea have firepower, they just haven’t used it. The bookies are expecting a good win, so much so, there’s not a lot of value in a Chelsea minus on the handicap, unless you go out to -2 Chelsea Asian Handicap which is 7/5 at Victor Chandler. Otherwise you will be stretching 21/10 at Bet365 for Aston Villa +1 if you think they are good enough for a draw. However, assuming Chelsea are going to win (because if you think Villa are, then just take them outright!), then a Chelsea -1.75 should make a better prospect for Evens at Bet365.

Chelsea to win: 2/7 at Coral
Draw: 5/1 at Stan James
Aston Villa to win: 14/1 at BetFred

EPL Match Preview: Well, Chelsea have rediscovered their winning ways. The Blues picked up a 1-0 victory over high flying Bolton during the week, which was their first victory in seven matches. Certainly not title winning form at all, but that crucial victory just kept them in touch in the congested top five places. Down in fourth place, which is unfamiliar territory for Chelsea, they are four points behind Manchester United, which doesn’t sound all that bad really, considering the poor form they have been in, but it could be worse as United have a game in hand over Carlo Ancelotti’s men. So, the big question now, is that has Florent Malouda’s simple winning goal against Bolton, turned the tide on Chelsea’s season again? Is there now something to build upon? Well, the jury will be out on that one, as again the lack of depth at the squad comes into question against Aston Villa, as Branislav Ivanovic misses the match through suspension. Carlo Ancelotti will now have to rely on the services of much criticised Paolo Ferrera, or inexperienced youngster Jeffrey Bruma to fill in the hole. There will be no John Obi Mikel in the holding midfield role either, which means that the far from impressive Ramires should get another start in the middle of the pitch. In the match against Bolton, Chelsea had Van Aanholt, Bruma, Kakuta and McEachran along with sub goalie Ross Turnbull there. It is not a bench which is built to go on and win the Premier League title, and this will be their biggest downfall this season. There is not much room for injuries, not much room for loss of form, as Ancelotti can simply not change up and rotate the squad to the extent of which Arsene Wenger at Arsenal can.

So, this leads to another important question. Will Chelsea now spend in the January transfer window? It is easy to see that as being the solution to their problems, but it is not easy purchasing quality players at this time of year. Teams don’t want to let their stars go until the end of the season, and so usually it is only those football exiles which get bounced around in transfers. The thing about the youngsters which were on Chelsea’s bench, is that it is a very promising, very exciting crop of players which should form the future of the club. McEachran is highly touted, along with Bruma, and Gael Kakuta looks as if he could be a real star, once he gets a full run in the side and gains experience. So will the club stick with their youth, or find some kind of solutions by spending? We’re certainly not going to see any hints from owner Roman Abramovich, as he, as usual, is keeping completely quiet on the whole situation. Is there a place for David Beckham perhaps, on loan, to make a return to the Premier League? He could be the temporary experience that Ancelotti will bite with. The only other rumour around, is that Chelsea are pushing for David Luiz, a young Brazilian centre half, but don’t look ready to offer what Benfica want for him. So it could be the same old Chelsea pushing on for the rest of the season. This means that it will be a predictable line up on New Year’s Day for them, as they look to win back to back games. When Aston Villa went to Stamford Bridge last season, the Blues ran riot in a massive 7-1 victory. There is no chance of that happening again, and they will be happy at this stage to pick up another 1-0 win.

Chelsea have a decent 51% winning record against Aston Villa at home, and it should put them in good stead, simply because Villa are in a terrible run of form. This is not a clash of two in form teams by a long way. Both are falling short of the standards they set themselves last year, that is for certain. Chelsea have not lost a home match against Aston Villa since the 2001/02 season, and that is a run of eight Premier League matches. Midfielder Frank Lampard, who has just recently returned to the starting line up, has a fantastic scoring record against Aston Villa, which should be paid attention to. Lampard has hit nine career goals against Villa, which makes the team which he has scored most frequently against (Lampard is 6/4 at Paddy Power as Anytime Goalscorer). So the Blues have broken their winless streak, but the signs of plenty of goals flowing from their forwards is not there. Perhaps with Aston Villa’s leaky defence, this will give them a bit of breathing room to rediscover their scoring touch. They do have the comfort of a home match, and Chelsea still do have the best home defensive record in the Premier League. The victory against Bolton was crucial, after Chelsea had been embarrassed in the previous match against Arsenal. It was just what they needed, and they have a great opportunity to build now from that platform. Worth backing them for a good home win against the struggling Midlands side.

The festive period hasn’t not been one of much cheer for Aston Villa at all. After losing to ten man Tottenham at home on Boxing Day, they then were demolished 4-0 away at Manchester City. Those two defeats has seen Aston Villa lose five of their last six matches. This is not the water tight, organised team that Martin O’Neill sent out last season, and while the Villains have been wrought with injury for most of the season, and have had to rely on youngsters, they have fallen into dangerous territory and form. Their only salvation in recent times was a 2-1 victory at home over West Bromwich Albion, but for a team which has conceded the most set play goals of all Premier League teams, things are not looking bright. There are rumours that the board are losing patience with Gerrard Houllier, even though he hasn’t even been there for too long. There are rumours of discontent, pulling the dressing room apart Their defense is suffering badly at the moment, and they have not kept a clean sheet on the road all season long, while at the other end, they have failed to score in over 50% of their away matches. Aston Villa, along with West Bromwich Albion, have conceded the most goals in the Premier League this season.  It doesn’t make great reading for a trip to Stamford Bridge, where their good defence shipped seven goals last season. However, it’s unlikely to be that bad for Villa on Sunday, even though they are expected to lose. There is just too much wrong with Villa at the moment to expect a win for them.

So that leaves the summing up of whether or not Villa are even good enough for a draw. Chelsea are not in great form themselves, but the home side should enjoy plenty of possession. It seems as if this match will be a matter of just how long the Villa defence can hold out, but one weapon that Aston Villa do have is speed and width. If they get up a head of steam, then they may create the odd chance that could see them steal a point. You have to have faith thought that the Chelsea defence will be much better than Aston Villa’s, and Chelsea will carry more of a threat up front than Aston Villa will. When Stuart Downing is your top scorer with just five goals on the season, things are dire. Will Downing and Ashley Young be sold in the January transfer window, as rumours are suggesting? To be honest, with or without them, Aston Villa are in a slump and one that should see them suffer yet another defeat on the road. For the team who had one of the best away records in the Premier League last season, with just one win, one draw and seven defeats on the road, there doesn’t look to be much light at the end of the tunnel for them.

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Chelsea v Aston Villa Premier League Betting Statistics

Last 5 Head to Head
Aston Villa 0, Chelsea 0
Chelsea 7, Aston Villa 1
Aston Villa 2, Chelsea 1
Aston Villa 0, Chelsea 1
Chelsea 2, Aston Villa 0

Chelsea have an 78% win percentage at home in the league this season
Aston Villa have a 11% win percentage away from home in the league this season

Chelsea are on a streak of 2 home matches with no defeat
Aston Villa are on a streak of 6 away match with no win

Chelsea have scored 19 goals, and conceded 4 at home
Aston Villa have scored 5 and conceded 22 goals in their away matches

Chelsea average 2.1 goals per match at home this season
Aston Villa average 0.5 goals per match away from home this season

Chelsea have scored the bulk of their goals in the 76-90 minute bracket
Aston Villa have scored the majority of their goals in the 76-90 minute bracket

Chelsea have opened the scoring in 52% of their matches
Aston Villa have scored first in 52% of their matches

Chelsea 2010/11 top scorer: Malouda, Drogba 8
Aston Villa 2010/11 top scorer: Downing, 5

Chelsea 2010/11 Season Form: P19 W10 D4 L5 GF33 GA15 Pts 34 (4th)
Aston Villa 2010/11 Season Form: P19 W5 D5 L9 GF20 GA34 Pts 20 (15th)

Online bookmaker William Hill are running a nice promotion for the Boxing Day fixture of Aston Villa v Spurs. When you place a £10 bet on the Premier League match, you will receive a free £2 bet to use in-play. The market selections to qualify for the free bet, are Correct Score or Double Result market for the Aston Villa v Spurs match, and it must be a minimum of £10. With William Hill having one of the most highly recommended live in play services, this is a nice little offer. You will need to use the Free Bet before the start of the second half, but this is a nice little Christmas bonus from the bookmaker, and is a great way to introduce yourself to live in play betting if you have not done so before. William Hill run an excellent website, which is to be expected from one of the most established UK bookmakers around.

There is also a nice free £25 bet when you open an account with the popular online bookmaker. Just head to th website with this exlusive link and enter the code F25 to get your free reward. This feature promotion for Boxing Day is pretty good value, and it really highlights the depth of the submarkets for their football selections. With brilliant live in play betting, as well as live streaming and other features available on the website, they remain a popular destination for online betting. William Hill have Aston Villa down as 21/10 outright winners, with the high flying Spurs at 13/10 at the draw for 9/4. There is great value as always in the Correct Score market with a Tottenham 1-0 win going for 15/2. The double result also makes an interesting proposition as well for the Aston Villa v Tottenham match, with Draw/Tottenham selection going for 9/2.