Aston Villa vs Bournemouth Preview, team news, tickets & prediction

Aston Villa and Bournemouth will lock horns in this Premier League encounter between two of the more fun teams to watch in the Premier League. 

This fixture will kick off along with several others on Saturday at 3:00 PM. While other matches may catch the fancy of fans, this fixture could be one of the most interesting matches of the weekend. 

Aston Villa will be looking for three points at Villa Park as they aim to finish in the top four once again this year. The task will be harder than last year but they have made moves in the summer window with this fact in mind. 

After Aston Villa qualified for the UEFA Champions League last season, the club offered Unai Emery a new deal that would run until 2029 and the Spaniard put pen to paper on what looks like a long-term project. The club has seen Emery as the manager to take them forward and is ready to back his long-term project. 

They may be a Champions League team for the first time since 1988, but expecting the team to remain one come the end of this season will be a tough ask. The teams that are not part of the traditional top six tend to find it difficult to keep their status at the top of the standings and fall out the following season and the odds are against Villa becoming a Champions League team for the second season in a row.

It would be special if they could pull it off, though as this season is a landmark one for the club. They celebrate their 150th anniversary this year and another top 4 finish as well as a deep cup run will equate to a huge success as the Emery project continues to move forward. 

Last season, the Villains were one of the strongest teams at home as they managed to win 12 games and lose only three at home. Only last season’s top three lost fewer games than Villa and their 40-point tally at home was the fourth-best in the League. Villa Park has become a fortress and Bournemouth will not find it an easy place to visit. 

Like Aston Villa, Bournemouth are a team looking to take the right steps forward after an encouraging season. It didn’t start in the greatest way, but the Cherries found their feet under Andoni Iraola and now they will be watching closely as the season reaches its midway point to see how much they have grown.   

“I think I have been lucky because I have found a group of players willing to achieve big things since my first day here,”

“In the end, the players have the level they are showing. It is indeed difficult to show it every single week and maintain it against opponents who, market-wise, probably have more value. But we are showing we have players who can play against the better teams.”

These were the words of Iraola last season and it is a statement of intent as well as a show of confidence in the talent already on the team and their potential for improvement. 

The history of this fixture at Villa Park in the League is even between the two clubs. In four league games played, both sides have two wins each but the most recent of the two wins belongs to Villa.  

This fixture last season ended in a 3-1 victory for Aston Villa who had to come from behind to secure the win. Dominik Solanke scored the opening goal from the spot in the 31st minute before Morgan Rogers got the equalizer in first-half stoppage time. 

Moussa Diaby completed the comeback before the hour mark then Leon Bailey made the game safe by scoring in the 78th minute.  

Match Tickets

Aston Villa vs Bournemouth tickets can be found online for fans looking to purchase. Villa fans will be at full voice for the visit of the cherries and the iconic stadium is sure to be rocking for the full 90 minutes. 

The game will be played at Villa Park on Saturday, 26th of October at 3:00 PM. Fans in and around the United Kingdom where Sky Sports’ coverage reaches will be able to enjoy the game at that time.

The Premier League is broadcast to 212 total provinces in the world, which means that fans outside the United Kingdom have to tune in to one of the league’s broadcast partners in their province for the game.

Team news

The Villains will be favourites for this match but will be without Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara in the team due to injury. These are two important players for them but they should have enough cover in these positions to welcome the visit of Bournemouth without many issues. 

Bournemouth will have their best team available for selection in this match and they will travel with the hopes of getting a strong result against a strong home team. 

Lineups

Unai Emery’s squad will feature new signings Amadou Onana, Jaden Philogene and Ian Maatsen in the starting lineup with the likes of Emiliano Martinez and Pau Torres also starting the match. 

Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen, Bailey, Tielemans, Onana, McGinn, Philogene, Watkins. 

The Cherries will line up with their 4-4-2 formation as they will try to unsettle Villa away from home. Justin Kluivert and Antonee Semenyo have been tasked with providing the width for the team while Enes Unal and Dominic Solanke will start up front. 

AFC Bournemouth: Neto; Smith, Senesi, Kelly, Kerkez, Semenyo, Scott, Cook, Kluivert, Unal, Solanke. 

Prediction

Aston Villa are favorites to win this match and for good reason. They are a strong team in their own stadium and the Villa Park atmosphere helps with that too. Bournemouth are no strangers to giant killing but on this occasion, their opponents might prove too much for them. 

Aston Villa 2-0 Bournemouth 

Categorised in: Championship Blog, Premier League Blog

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