Burnley will host Aston Villa at Turf Moor on Sunday, looking to finish the campaign strongly after being relegated from the Premier League.
Burnley have nothing to play for, but they will want to give the fans something to cheer about in the match vs Aston Villa this weekend. The Clarets are coming into this game on the back of five consecutive defeats in the Premier League, and they need to perform at a high level to get something out of this contest.
On the other hand, Aston Villa are in poor form in the Premier League as well. The Villans have lost their last two top-flight matches, and they will be desperate to bounce back strongly. Unai Emery’s men managed to pick up a 4-0 win earlier this week in the UEFA Europa League, and they have now made it to the final of the competition.
It will have given them a huge confidence boost as they aim to secure a top-five finish in the Premier League. It remains to be seen whether they can bounce back in the top flight now. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Burnley
The home team will be without Connor Roberts (Achilles), Axel Tuanzabe (calf), and Jordan Beyer (hamstring). Josh Cullen is out for the season with ACL damage. Burnley will shape up in the 3-4-3 formation vs Aston Villa, with Martin Dubravka in goal.
In the back three, Kyle Walker will start alongside Maxime Esteve and Joe Worrall. Oliver Sonne and Quilindschy Hartman will start in the wing-back roles. They will look to keep things right at the back and hit Aston Villa on the break.
As for the midfield unit, Florentino Luis will start alongside James Ward-Prowse in the middle of the park. The two players will look to keep things tight in the middle and protect the defensive unit. Finally, Zian Flemming will lead the line for Burnley vs Aston Villa, with Jacob Bruun Larsen and Jaidon Anthony on either side of him.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Dubravka; Walker, Worrall, Esteve; Sonne, Florentino Luis, Ward-Prowse, Hartman; Larsen, Flemming, Anthonyn
Aston Villa
Boubacar Kamara misses out with a knee injury, and Amadou Onana is also sidelined with a calf injury. Meanwhile, Alysson remains on the sidelines due to his fitness issues. Aston Villa will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Burnley, with Emiliano Martinez in goal.
Matty Cash and Lucas Digne will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back. Meanwhile, Ezri Konsa will start alongside Pau Torres in the central defensive partnership.
As for the midfield unit, Youri Tielemans and Douglas Luiz will provide defensive cover and control from the deep. Morgan Rogers will be deployed in the attacking midfield role, looking to link the midfield to the attack.
Emiliano Buendia and John McGinn will start on the flanks. They will look to create goalscoring opportunities and add unpredictability in the final third. Finally, Ollie Watkins will spearhead the Aston Villa attack against Burnley on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Torres, Konsa, Digne; Luiz, Tielemans; Buendia, Rogers, McGinn; Watkins
Key Stats
- Burnley have won just two of their 13 Premier League games against Aston Villa (D5 L6), and they are winless in five since a 3-2 home win in January 2021. The Villans have won their last three Premier League games against Burnley, as many as they had in their first ten against them (D5 L2).
- Aston Villa have lost just one of their nine Premier League matches when facing a side already relegated (W5 D3), though that loss came against Burnley in May 2015 (0-1).
- Burnley have won one of their last 26 Premier League matches (D7 L18), coming from 2-0 down to beat Crystal Palace 3-2 in February. Additionally, the Clarets are winless in 13 home Premier League games (D4 L9) since a 2-0 win over Leeds United in October. They could equal their longest home winless run in this game, having previously gone 14 without a victory at Turf Moor between February and October 2021 previously.
- Aston Villa have picked up just seven points in their last eight Premier League matches (W2 D1 L5). In this timeframe, only Chelsea (3) and Burnley (1) have won fewer.
- Emiliano Buendia has had a hand in five Premier League goals as a substitute this season (4 goals, 1 assist), with Leon Bailey in 2023/24 (3 goals, 4 assists) the only Aston Villa player with more in a season. Marlon Harewood in 2007/08 is also the only Villa player with more goals as a sub in a campaign (5).
Player to Watch
Morgan Rogers
The Aston Villa playmaker is our key player to watch out for. The Englishman has been an important player for Unai Emery, and he will be crucial to their hopes of breaking Burnley down. He will look to create opportunities for his teammates with his passing, technical ability, vision and flair. He will also look to find the back of the net here.
The home team has been quite poor defensively, conceding 71 goals in 35 Premier League matches this season. Rogers could cause all sorts of problems for them at the back, and Aston Villa will expect a defining performance from him.
Prediction
Burnley 1-2 Aston Villa
The home team would like to put up a fight here and grind something out of this contest. However, Aston Villa are a better team, and they need to secure a win here to keep their hopes of securing UEFA Champions League qualification alive.
The home side cannot afford to drop points in these games. Both teams are likely to get on the scoresheet, but Aston Villa have more quality in their attacking unit and should come away with a victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for Unai Emery and his charges.
