Southampton Vs Aston Villa
Saturday 22nd February 2020 – 15:00 Kick-Off
English Premier League
Pick: Over 3.5 Goals
Odds: 31/20
Bookmaker: Betfair
(All betting odds displayed in this article were correct at time of writing: 21st February 2020 at 16:00)
Preview: Another critical battle towards the foot of the Premier League as Southampton welcome Aston Villa to St Mary’s for a fixture which, if past encounters are anything to go by, should be rich in goalmouth entertainment.
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Table of Contents
Southampton Preview – Saints suddenly labouring towards safety?
The Saints appeared to be well on their way to avoiding a fate that seemed almost inevitable earlier in the season. A spectacular effort over the festive period saw Southampton (12th – W9 D4 L13) pick up 13 points from a possible 15 between 21st December to 11th January, by which time the club were in the top half of the table. Talk among the terraces, and even some parts of the media, switched from avoiding relegation to the prospect of potentially qualifying for Europe.
A subsequent run of one win in four Premier League games, losing on three occasions to Wolves (2-3), Liverpool (4-0) and Burnley (1-2), may have dampened any idea of trips to Milan or Madrid for next season but doesn’t detract from what has nevertheless been a stunning transformation on the South Coast. The club are essentially three more wins from confirming their participation in next season’s top-flight campaign – something that seemed dubious at the start of November when suffering a sixth loss in seven.
On the face of it, this is an excellent opportunity to secure one of those wins. However, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have been extremely poor at home this season – Opta inform us that the 11 points (W3 D2 L8) registered from their first 13 fixtures at St Mary’s is their worst return in the top-flight since 1991-92. Their previous five said matches returned only one win (W1 D1 L3), that a slender 1-0 scoreline against Tottenham on New Year’s day.
Aston Villa Preview – Leaky Villans still reeling from Spurs loss?
It has only been for the inadequacies of those teams beneath them in the table that Aston Villa (17th – W7 D4 L15) find themselves out of the Premier League relegation zone. This after a second successive defeat last weekend left them a solitary point above the bottom-three, who all face daunting fixtures this coming weekend meaning an opportunity for Dean Smith’s men to potentially put some precious daylight between them and the danger zone.
Furthermore, a third loss in a row would be far from ideal preparation ahead of next week’s EFL Cup final appearance at Wembley against Manchester City. The Villans are huge underdogs for that game regardless, but another loss this weekend would only further dampen morale. It would also leave them fearing the worst upon their return to league action on 9 March, when they face a difficult visit to third-placed Leicester. They host Chelsea immediately after.
Last week’s agonising late defeat at home to Tottenham, when conceding the decisive goal with essentially the last meaningful kick of the game to lose 3-2, made it one win in the last five (W1 D1 L3). No team over the course of the season has kept fewer clean sheets (4) meanwhile, something that seem unlikely to improve here – not only have Villa failed to prevent any team from scoring on their travels thus far, they have never kept a clean sheet at Southampton during the Premier League era (11 games).
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Southampton Vs Aston Villa Betting Advice
Southampton should be more relaxed with a six-point cushion over those sides currently languishing inside the relegation zone, however, a poor run comprising of three defeats in four has reopened the debate about them possibly being sucked back into a scrap for survival. Moreover, their form at home in 2019-20 remains abysmal having won three of thirteen (W3 D2 L8) thus far.
Southampton Vs Aston Villa – Key Facts
- No team has taken fewer points from games played at home in this season’s Premier League than Southampton (11pts – W3 D2 L8).
- Only rock-bottom Norwich have registered fewer points on their travels this season than Aston Villa (8pts – W2 D2 L9).
- Each of the last six meetings in all competitions, as well as the previous nine staged in Southampton, delivered both teams to score.
Aston Villa can ill-afford to lose a third straight game, not with an EFL Cup final around the corner followed by some tricky league fixtures. Yet their porous defending – no team has shipped more goals (50) this season – is making their task of collecting enough points to survive all the more difficult. Neither can defend while both retain a significant threat in attack. The last six head-to-head encounters in all competitions produced both teams scoring, as did the previous nine at St Mary’s. Expect the goals to flow.
Best Betting Odds for Southampton Vs Aston Villa
Southampton – 4/6 (Boylesports)
Draw – 17/5 (Unibet)
Aston Villa – 9/2 (BetVictor)