As the battle of the European places heats up in the English Premier League, seventh-placed Aston Villa will host Eighth-placed Fulham at Villa Park in Birmingham on Saturday, May 3.
In the reverse fixture at Craven Cottage, tempers were flying as Joachim Andersen and Jaden Philogene were sent off by the referee as both teams finished the contest with 10 men on the pitch. The visitors did have an extra man for almost 40 minutes, and the Villans did manage to stage a comeback, running away from London with a 3-1 win and three crucial points in the bag. Raul Jimenez opened the scoring for the hosts on that evening while Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, and an own goal from Issa Diop helped the visitors get over the line.
Learn more about the odds, team news, picks, and predictions for the thrilling Premier League Matchday 35 clash between Aston Villa and Fulham :
Here is when and where to watch the clash between Aston Villa and Fulham:
Date: 05/03
Time: 7:30 am ET
Location: Villa Park, Birmingham
Where to watch: The match can be watched on USA Network on TV and NBC.com in the USA
Fulham has a poor away record against Aston Villa, winning only one of the last 20 league games at Villa Park, with the Cottagers winning their last PL away game against the Birmingham-based club before the Villans’ relegation to the Championship. On the other hand, Villa has won six of the last seven Premier League meetings between the two clubs and would love to add to that record on Saturday.
After the defeat to Pep Guardiola’s men ten days ago, Villa fans have suffered more pain as they were knocked out of the FA Cup semi-final by Crystal Palace and the Villans would now be hoping to qualify for the Champions League or the Europa League to add a further cherry on the top of a good season for the club. Unai Emery’s men currently have 57 points to their name and are in seventh position on the league standings, three points behind Chelsea and four points behind Manchester City.
Predicted Starting XI (4-3-3): Martinez; Cash, Torres, Konsa, Digne; Kamara, Onana, Tielemans; Rogers, Watkins, Rashford
Like Villa, Fulham was knocked out of the FA Cup by Crystal Palace, and Marco Silva’s men have had a pretty good season except that fixture, as they currently sit above the likes of Brighton & Hove Albion, Bournemouth, Brentford, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur in the league standings. With 51 points in the bag from 34 matches, the Cottagers have already made a mark on the season, defeating Premier League Champions Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, and Newcastle United since the start of February.
Predicted Starting XI: Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Lukic, Berge; Sessegnon, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Jimenez
The Playoffs aim to facilitate the safest bets for the game. Have a look at the predictions for the game below.
Total goals Over 2.5 @ -140 (MGM Bet): While Aston Villa’s form has been enviable over the last few months, Fulham has a habit of grinding out a result whether in favor of them or against as none of their last 14 Premier League matches have ended in a draw, with 7 wins and 7 losses recorded during that period. Silva’s men would be looking to attack from the word ‘go’ in order to exact revenge on a scratchy Villa side, who would be looking forward to putting their feet on the grass after an elongated period of rest and getting their first win in two weeks.
Ollie Watkins (To Score a Goal @ +140 as per Fan Duel): Despite featuring only two-thirds of his playing time on the field, Ollie Watkins has managed 15 goals in the Premier League compared to 19 goals last season and the experienced striker could help out Villa early on Saturday if the Villans can put some pressure on the sides above them by bagging three crucial points.
Unbeaten in their last 16 Premier League matches at home, Villa could equal their longest unbeaten home run if they manage to grind out a result on Saturday while Fulham would be looking to stamp their credentials for European competitions if they manage to get the better of Villa in front of their own home crowd.
Our Final Prediction: A 2-1 win could prove valuable to the hosts, who would be hoping to overtake Chelsea and City if either team slips up during the crucial month of May.
