Saturday 7th May 2022
Premier League
@Turf Moor, Burnley
KO: 15:00 GMT
Aston Villa head up north to Burnley in a game of importance for both clubs.
Burnley have had a huge revival since the shock sacking of Sean Dyche but are still locked in a relegation battle, whilst Villa themselves are not mathematicslly safe and they cannot presume anything.
The Villans have at least picked up four points in their last two games over Leicester City and Norwich City respectively and will look to build upon the 2-0 win over the Canaries before a tough tie against Liverpool at Villa Park next Tuesday.
Burnley come into the game having drawn one and won their last three games since the caretaker role was given to Mike Jackson.
An impressive draw away at West Ham was followed by wins at home to Southampton and Wolves before last weekends away win over Watford.
The two teams will play each other twice within a matter of weeks due to the reverse fixture being cancelled earlier in the season due to a COVID outbreak in the Villa side.
Burnley Team News
The Clarets have a number of doubts for the game with Maxwell Cornet (knee), Jay Rodriguez (hamstring), and Erik Pieters (knee) all facing checks and tests throughout the week.
Ben Mee (calf), and Johann Berg Gudmundsson (calf) are both ruled out whilst former Villa midfielder Ashley Westwood (ankle) will be out for some time following a serious injury at West Ham. The thoughts of all Villa fans continue to be with Westwood in the hopes he makes a full recovery.
Possible starting line up:
Pope, Roberts, Tarkowski, Collins, Taylor, McNeil, Brownhill, Cork, Lennon, Weghorst, Vydra
Aston Villa Team News
Steven Gerrard should not have too many changes to be concerned about however it will be more around his own selection ahead of the end of the season that may highlight who he feels will be playing for thr club next season.
Leon Bailey (ankle) and Kortney Hause (abdominal) will miss out and there is a question of Jacob Ramsey in regards to match fitness.
There should be no other concerns and it will be interesting to see whether Tim Iroegbunam will start again following his debut last weekend.
With a busy couple of weeks ahead you’d expect to see some rotation and many Villa fans continue to call for a start for Emi Buendia.
Possible starting line up:
Martinez, Digne, Chambers, Mings, Cash, Iroegbunam, McGinn, Ramsey, Coutinho, Ings, Watkins
Opposition breakdown
Burnley are credited with being one of the strongest teams aerially and they are good at winning the ball from the opposition.
Whilst they have been labelled as a long ball team at times, they have played some good football in the last few weeks and Dwight McNeil is a focal point in midfield for the transition to attack.
Their weaknesses have been labelled as finishing chances and keeping possession of the ball and they have been one of the worst sides statistically for avoiding offsides.
In regards to attacking, 18 of the 31 goals scored by Burnley have come from open play with 11 goals coming from set pieces and 2 own goals.
38% of their attacks have come down the left wing with 37% down the right-hand side and only 25% centrally as they look to utilise the likes of Maxwell Cornet and Aaron Lennon to create width.
70% of their shots have come centrally with 52% coming from inside the 18-yard box, 36% outside of the box and 12% inside the six-yard box.
Defensively, Burnley have conceded 46 goals with 31 from open play, 9 from set pieces, 3 from set penalties, 2 own goals and 1 from a direct counter attack.
65% of the shots conceded from opposition sides have come centrally with 59% of shots being inside the 18-yard box, 34% coming from outside the box and 7% within the six-yard box.
Maxwell Cornet is top scorer so far this season with 7 goals whilst a host of players share the top assists figure with 3 to their names.
Their highest rated player statistically based on their position is James Tarkowski.
Burnley are 16th in the ‘home table’ with 5 wins, 6 draws and 6 defeats in comparison to Aston Villa who themselves sit 10th in the away table with 6 wins, 1 draws and 10 losses on the road.
Head to Head record
Burnley 41 wins, 28 Draws, Aston Villa 51 wins
Last five meetings:
27 Jan 2021 – Burnley 3-2 Aston Villa (Premier League)
17 Dec 2020 – Aston Villa 0-0 Burnley (Premier League)
01 Jan 2020 – Burnley 1-2 Aston Villa (Premier League)
28 Sep 2019 – Aston Villa 2-2 Burnley (Premier League)
24 May 2015 – Aston Villa 0-1 Burnley (Premier League)
AVILLAFAN MATCH PREDICTION
Burnley come into this in form and being the home side scrapping for survival will make it a tough game.
The win over Norwich City last week should mean Villa are over the line but until it’s mathematically impossible they need to remain wary and resolute.
I can see this being a tight game.
Burnley 1-1 Aston Villa