Southampton vs. Aston Villa
Venue: St. Mary’s Stadium
Kick off: 9PM
Southampton and Aston Villa will each be looking to bounce back from midweek Premier League defeats when they face off at St Mary’s tonight.
The sides are locked on the same number of points heading into this evening’s clash, though Villa have played a game fewer than Southampton.
It is now back-to-back losses in the league for Southampton following Tuesday’s 3-1 reverse at the hands of Arsenal, three days on from beating the same side in the FA Cup.
The Saints took the lead via an early Stuart Armstrong goal, but Arsenal hit back through goals from Nicolas Pepe, Bukayo Saka and Alexandre Lacazette.
Indeed, since Ralph Hasenhuttl’s first game in charge of Southampton in December 2018, no other team has dropped more points from winning positions in the Premier League.
That is something Hasenhuttl will be keen to get to the bottom of, but he will be pleased with his side’s campaign as a whole, sitting as they do just six points off the top four.
Southampton led the way at the top of the table at one point – one of nine sides to have done so – while opponents Villa were also in the higher echelons not so long ago.
The Villans have won just one of their last four league games, though, most recently going down 3-2 to Burnley on Wednesday evening.
Dean Smith’s side twice took the lead at Turf Moor, but they could not hold on and Chris Wood scored what proved to be the winner 11 minutes from time.
After winning five of their first seven away league games this term, keeping five clean sheets, Villa have since lost three in a row and conceded at least twice in each.
The West Midlands outfit could do with getting their campaign back on course this weekend, then, but this is a fixture that they have a poor record in.
They are winless in their last eight Premier League matches against Southampton, losing each of the last four, including a 4-3 defeat at Villa Park in the reverse fixture.
Southampton possible XI: McCarthy, Valery, Bednarek, Stephens, Bertrand, Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Diallo, Walcott, Adams, Ings.
Aston Villa possible XI: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Luiz, McGinn, Trezeguet, Barkley, Grealish, Watkins.
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