Southampton will host Aston Villa at St. Mary’s on Saturday, looking to salvage some pride after their relegation was confirmed last week.
It has been a disappointing season for Southampton, and they have lost five of their last six Premier League matches ahead of the game vs Southampton. The Saints are at the bottom of the table, and they will head to the EFL Championship next season.
On the other hand, Aston Villa are still fighting for European qualification, and they will need to finish the season strongly. The Villans were beaten by PSG during the midweek, but they picked up four wins in a row prior to that. It will be interesting to see if they can grind out a positive result and close in on the European qualification sports.
Aston Villa have done quite well against Southampton in their recent meetings, and they managed to beat the Saints earlier on in the season as well. They will be the favourites to grind out all three points. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Southampton
Flynn Downes is suspended for the Saints. Other than that, they have a fully fit squad to choose from. Southampton will shape up in a 3-4-2-1 formation vs Aston Villa, with Aaron Ramsdale in goal.
In the back three, Taylor Harwood-Bellis will start alongside Jan Bednarek and Nathan Wood. Yukinari Sugawara and Kyle Walker-Peters will start as the wing-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back and hit Aston Villa on the break.
As for the midfield unit, Joe Aribo will start alongside Lesley Ugochukwu in the middle of the park. They will look to add physicality and defensive cover to the side. Cameron Archer will start alongside Tyler Dibling in the attacking midfield roles, and they will look to create goalscoring chances for Paul Onuachu, who will lead the line for Southampton vs Aston Villa.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Ramsdale; Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Bednarek; Sugawara, Aribo, Ugochukwu, Walker-Peters; Dibling, Archer; Onuachu
Aston Villa
Unai Emery has a fully-fit squad to choose from. Aston Villa will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Southampton, with Emiliano Martinez in goal.
Matty Cash and Lucas Digne will start as the full-backs. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Ezri Konsa will form the central defensive partnership alongside Axel Disasi.
John McGinn and Youri Tielemans will look to add control and drive from the middle of the park. Leon Bailey and Marcus Rashford will add pace, flair and creativity to the side from the wide areas. Meanwhile, Morgan Rogers will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. Ollie Watkins will lead the line for Aston Villa vs Southampton.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Disasi, Digne; McGinn, Tielemans; Bailey, Rogers, Rashford; Watkins
Key Stats
- Aston Villa have kept a clean sheet in their last four matches vs Southampton in all competitions.
- Aston Villa have won five of the last six meetings vs Southampton.
- Nine goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two teams.
- Southampton have lost five of their last six Premier League matches.
- Aston Villa have won four of their last five matches in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Ollie Watkins
The Aston Villa striker is one of the best attacking players in the Premier League, and he is our key player to watch out for. Southampton have been quite vulnerable defensively, and Watkins will look to punish them with his creativity and goalscoring ability.
The English international will look to add to his goal tally for the season, and he will look to open up opportunities for his teammates as well. Southampton will struggle to contain the Aston Villa striker, and he is likely to make life miserable for the home side’s defenders.
Prediction
Southampton 1-3 Aston Villa
The home team will look to put up a fight here, and they will look to get something out of this contest. However, they are completely lacking in form and confidence right now. Southampton have been quite poor this season, and they have a dreadful record vs Aston Villa.
The visitors should be able to grind out all three points here and a comfortable away. An away win is on the cards for them. Aston Villa will be determined to bounce back from the midweek defeat against PSG, and a fully-motivated side will be too hot to handle for Southampton. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Unai Emery and his charges.
