When Aston Villa hosts Fulham, Unai Emery will have the rare chance to tie a 40-year-old club record for the most straight home victories.
Last Saturday, Unai Emery may have suffered a major blow when Aston Villa lost to Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, which was devastating to their spirit. Their six-game Premier League unbeaten streak was also terminated by the outcome. However, a victory over Fulham this coming weekend might tie a 40-year-old club record for Aston Villa’s 13 straight league home victories
Aston Villa’s loss against Nottingham did not have a significant negative impact because their nearest competitors who were ahead of them in the standings also lost. Following their performance last weekend, Emery’s team was sitting fifth in the table, with only two points separating them from leaders Liverpool and Arsenal.
Emery will aim to win and equal one of the team’s impressive records. The Midlands team defeated AZ Alkmaar this week, bouncing back from their defeat the previous weekend. Vangelis Pavlidis, their striker, opened the score in keeping with his recent scoring trend. Diego Carlos and Ollie Watkins then secured the three points. Emery will therefore be fully confident that he can score three points on Sunday.
They will not only be frustrated with the result, but Marco Silva must also have gained confidence from Fulham’s overall effort up to Manchester United’s late goal. The Portuguese manager is still adamant that his team produce consistent outcomes if they are to have any chance of winning this year.
Fulham is currently far ahead of the danger zone. However, if the current theme’s results hold true, who’s to say they can’t get drawn into the relegation struggle?
Group News & Strategies
Villa Aston
Unai Emery had to pay a price for the victory over AZ Alkmaar, as the defender Diego Carlos will not play against Fulham. The Brazilian may not have even started against the Cottagers, but he was hurt when he left the field during that midweek match.
For this match and possibly the many others they have coming up, Villa’s backline will be led by Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres. Another player who is still sidelined is Jacob Ramsey, who has Tyrone Mings and Emi Buendia for company.
Recently, Emery has shifted to a different 4-4-2, which emphasizes possession. Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby will still lead the line in this configuration, with John McGinn providing width from the right side. The left side of the attack will be manned by Nicolo Zaniolo, while Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara will stabilize the midfield.
A probable lineup (4-4-2) would include Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Zaniolo, Luiz, Kamara, McGinn; Diaby, Watkins.
Prior to the match against Aston Villa, Fulham manager Marco Silva still has a few important players—especially central defenders—out of the picture. The Cottagers will need to rely on seasoned players Tim Ream and Calvin Bassey to fortify the backline because key defenders Tosin Adarabioyo and Issa Diop are still out of the running.
Positively, Kenny Tete and Adama Traore may make the matchday squad despite their continued doubts. They may undergo a late evaluation. Apart from that, Silva ought to use a lineup that is comparable to the one he used against Manchester United the previous Saturday.
The probable absence of teenage striker Rodrigo Muniz, who impressed against Manchester United, is another worry for Fulham. Perhaps he wanted to capitalize on the momentum. However, the injuries sustained back then may now make it possible for players like Carlos Vinicius to replace him.
Furthermore, Fulham may start a lineup resembling that of the previous Saturday, with Harry Wilson, Andreas Pereira, and Willian in the attacking third. Alongside Joao Palhinha, Alex Iwobi may also start in midfield, while Silva will stick with Timothy Castagne and Antonee Robinson as his full-backs.
Leno, Castagne, Bassey, Ream, Robinson, Palhinha, Iwobi, Wilson, Pereira, Willian, and Vinicius are the probable lineup (4-2-3-1).
The English striker was included in another of Gareth Southgate’s squads, and he will be hoping to maintain his spot in the team this time. The striker hopes to keep up his strong club play and perhaps force Southgate to use him frequently.
Watkins would be keen to go back to his scoring ways after drawing blanks against Nottingham Forest the previous weekend. A strong showing against Fulham might boost his confidence once again, assist Villa in reaching the necessary heights in the league, and possibly increase his tally for the current campaign.
Expectation
Villa Aston 2-1 Fulham
Aston Villa is enjoying a fantastic run of form ahead of Fulham’s visit to Villa Park. This group, captained by Unai Emery, is about to tie a record that dates back forty years, which would further improve their caliber. Making history in that manner would undoubtedly establish the Spanish tactician as a legend inside the team. Nevertheless, he would prefer that his team win all three points.
Fulham has frequently played certain teams at the wrong moment in recent weeks. That’s not to say they can’t win this match against Aston Villa. However, Emerry’s team is heavily favored to win this game and maintain pressure on Arsenal and Liverpool, who are currently ahead of them in the standings.
