Aston Villa will host Fulham at Villa Park on Sunday, desperate to pick up their first win of the 2025/26 season.
It has been a disastrous start to the Premier League campaign for Aston Villa, and they are yet to pick up a win from five Premier League matches ahead of the game vs Fulham. The Villans are 18th in the Premier League standings, and a club of their stature should be fighting for a place in European football.
Unai Emery has a quality set of players at his disposal, but the Spaniard will be under a lot of pressure. It will be interesting to see if he can get the best out of his players once again. Aston Villa will certainly have the quality to pick up a win here, and it remains to be seen whether they can produce a strong performance.
Meanwhile, Fulham have picked up four wins from their last five matches in all competitions, and they are full of confidence and momentum. They will look to pile further misery on the home team here. The Hard Tackle takes a cloer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Amadou Onana is likely to be the only absentee here with a hamstring injury. Apart from that, Unai Emery has a fully fit squad to choose from.
Aston Villa will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Fulham, with Emiliano Martinez in goal. Matty Cash and Lucas Digne as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back and hit Fulham on the break. Meanwhile, Ezri Konsa will start alongside Tyrone Mings at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Boubacar Kamara and John McGinn will add defensive cover and drive in the middle of the park. Harvey Elliott will be deployed in the attacking midfield role, and he will look to create opportunities for his teammates with his passing and vision.
Morgan Rogers and Jadon Sancho will start on the flanks. They will look to create goalscoring opportunities and add unpredictability in the final third. Finally, Ollie Watkins will lead the line for Aston Villa vs Fulham on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne, Kamara, McGinn, Elliott, Rogers, Sancho, Watkins
Fulham
The visitors have no injury problems heading into this contest, and they will look to field a full-strength lineup. Fulham will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Aston Villa, with Bernd Leno in goal.
Kenny Tete and Ryan Sessegnon will start as the full-backs here, and they will look to help the team at both ends of the pitch. Joachim Andersen will form the central defensive partnership alongside Calvin Bassey.
As for the midfield unit, Sander Berge and Sasa Lukic will add defensive cover and physicality in the middle of the park. They will look to break up the opposition’s attacking moves and set up transitions for their team.
Josh King will be the attacking midfielder here, and he will look to link the midfield with the attack. Harry Wilson and Alex Iwobi will start on the flanks. They will aim to add pace and flair to the side. Finally, Rodrigo Muniz will spearhead the Fulham attack vs Aston Villa on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno, Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Sessegnon, Berge, Lukic, King, Wilson, Iwobi, Muniz.
Key Stats
- Aston Villa have won their last six matches against Fulham in all competitions.
- 15 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two teams.
- Fulham have picked up four wins from the last five matches in all competitions.
- Aston Villa are without a win in their last five matches in the Premier League.
- Marco Silva has lost six of his seven Premier League matches against Aston Villa (L1 with Everton, W1 L5 with Fulham). This is the highest loss percentage (86%) of any manager to face Villa five or more times in the competition.
Player to Watch
Ollie Watkins
The English international is one of the best players in the Premier League, and he needs to step up and deliver if Aston Villa are to pick up their first win of the season. Watkins has failed to score in his last seven Premier League appearances, his longest run without scoring since going eight games between April and August 2024.
The Englishman’s per 90 minute data for shots (1.6), shots on target (0.4) and xG (0.22) are all his lowest in a single top-flight season. Aston Villa have been quite poor, and they need to bounce back strongly. Watkins has the quality to trouble the away defence with his playmaking ability and goal-scoring qualities.
The experienced striker will look to create opportunities for his teammates and find the back of the net as well. The England international striker will have to produce a strong performance in order for his team to win here.
Prediction
Aston Villa 1-1 Fulham
Both teams will look to pick up all three points here, and this is likely to be a close contest. Aston Villa are struggling right now, and they will be desperate to avoid defeat against Fulham this weekend.
On the other hand, Fulham will look to make the most of Aston Villa’s troubles and grind out a positive result. Both teams are likely to get on the scoresheet, but it will be difficult to separate them. They could cancel each other out in a draw. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw between Aston Villa and Fulham.
