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 a high-level in order to get something out of this contest.
On the other hand, Aston Villa are in poor form in the Premier League as well. They have lost their last two league matches and will be desperate to bounce back strongly. They managed to pick up a 40 in the midweek 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. It remains to be seen whether they can bounce back in the Premier League now.
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, 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 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.
Zian Flemming will lead the line for Burnley here, 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 with a knock.
Aston Villa will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, 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 defence.
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 goal-scoring opportunities and add unpredictability in the final third.
Ollie Watkins will lead the line for Aston Villa.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Torres, Konsa, Digne; Luiz, Tielemans; Buendia, Rogers, McGinn; Watkins
Key Stats
- Burnley have lost 5 of their last 5 matches (English Premier League)
- Both teams have scored in 5 of the last 7 Aston Villa matches (English Premier League)
- Both teams have scored in 6 of the last 6 meetings between Burnley and Aston Villa (English Premier League)
- Aston Villa has not lost in 5 of the last 6 matches between the two teams.
Player to Watch
Morgan Rogers
The Aston Villa playmaker is our key player to watch out for. He 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 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 in order to keep their hopes of Champions League qualification alive. They 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.