Burnley vs Aston Villa
1st January 1230hrs
Football – England– Premier League
Pick Burnley
Bookmaker Boylesports
Odds: 13/15 odds taken 1800 GMT, Tuesday 31 December)
It’s not been a happy Christmas for either Burnley or Aston Villa so far which means both teams will be even more determined to get the new year off to a winning start, particularly the away team who find themselves in the bottom three.
Premier League Betting at Boylesports
Burnley vs Aston Villa Live Stats & Betting Odds
Burnley Preview – Can Burnley get back to winning ways following two defeats over the festive period?
Overall it’s been a really positive first half of the season for Burnley and much better than 12 months ago when they were in a relegation battle. So the fact they have lost a couple of games during the festive period should be taken in context. That said Sean Dyche will be demanding a reaction from his players, especially as they have not managed a goal in the defeats to Everton and Manchester United. Dyche will be most annoyed with the individual errors that have lead to the opening goals in both of those games. Those have come down to poor decision making in crucial areas. This is something that Burnley are usually so well drilled and rarely make these sort of mistakes.
It’s been a real mixed bag for the Clarets at Turf Moor this season. Their 10 home games in the league have seen them win five and lost five. Where Burnley have been very good is defeating the teams they would be expected to, as evidenced by all their defeats coming against teams above them in the table. That’s the sort of efficiency that we associate with this Burnley team and Dyche will be looking for them to get back to that on Wednesday.
Aston Villa Preview – Will Villa get 2020 off to the perfect start and find the result they need to move out of the relegation zone?
This season started with so much hope and expectation for Aston Villa. Winning promotion via the playoffs and returning to the top-flight for the first time since 2016 meant there was a huge amount of positivity surrounding Villa Park. That was added to when the club backed manager Dean Smith with significant investment in the playing squad. The first third of the season was acceptable and Villa have earned plenty of plaudits for their playing style. The lack of goals has raised as an issue throughout the season due to record-signing Wesley under performing but it’s at the other end where Villa are struggling most.
Norwich and Southampton are the only teams who have conceded more than Villa in the Premier League this season. It’s now just one clean sheet in their last eight games, that coming in the 1-0 win over Norwich which was slightly fortunate. They’ve still to keep a clean sheet away from home and that’s simply not good enough at this level. Should it continue then you find it hard to see Villa escaping the bottom three. The injury to John McGinn who has been such a key player is also going to damage their survival hopes.
Key-Facts – Burnley vs Aston Villa
- Defeats to Everton and Manchester United without scoring have soured Burnley’s Christmas celebration and they are looking to bounce back here
- Villa have been in free fall in recent weeks and now find themselves in the relegation zone following a 3-0 loss to Watford
- These two played out a very entertaining 2-2 draw at the end of September when meeting at Villa Park
Burnley vs Aston Villa Betting Advice
The points were shared when these teams met back in September. The 2-2 draw probably sums up Villa’s season in that they can be very good going forward, be the better team for long spells, but just unable to find a way to win games due to poor defending. Their defeat to Watford at the weekend would have been really concerning for Smith. Despite playing against 10 men for most of the second half Villa were second best and too easy to break on. Burnley will be well aware of that and do enjoy countering on teams at home.
Villa have taken just four points from 10 away games in the league. It’s a really poor record and as shown against Watford, shows no sign of stopping. Burnley are very good in these situations and looking for points after consecutive defeats. Take a home win at Turf Moor.
