Aston Villa vs Bournemouth prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2023-03-17 15:00.
With their charge for a first Premier League (PL) top-half finish since 2010/11 gaining momentum, Aston Villa welcome relegation-threatened Bournemouth on the back of a three-match unbeaten streak (W2, D1). Villa’s latest result was a 1-1 draw at another struggling side West Ham, a result which boss Unai Emery called “fair” before adding that he is “excited” about returning home to face the Cherries.
Positivity is flowing and it’s in front of goal where the Villans have been menacing since the Spaniards arrival, scoring in each of the 13 league games he’s been in charge after blanking six times in the 13 contests which opened the season. You’d expect Villa to keep that streak going here, but having tasted defeat in each of the last four PL meetings between the clubs, including a 2-0 reverse fixture loss, this fixture does look a potential banana skin to Villa’s top-half hopes.
Despite starting the day bottom of the table, Bournemouth picked up an unlikely 1-0 win over Liverpool last Saturday to see their chances of survival increase from 33.2% to 54.2% within a week according to Opta Analyst. Bournemouth boss Gary O'Neil was impressed not only by the result, but also by how his team bounced back from late heartbreak to Arsenal, saying his team “answered” questions about their mentality.
Still sitting inside the relegation zone despite that eye-catching win, Bournemouth’s leaky backline is a constant threat to their PL status, an issue heightened on the road where no side has conceded more than the Cherries’ 35 PL away goals. Therefore, finding a remedy for a dreadful run that has seen them win just one of their last ten league away games (D2, L7) might top O'Neil’s priority list in their fight against the drop.
Players to watch: Villa’s Ollie Watkins recently told teammates “take a touch and look for me in the box early”, something that’s perhaps working as only three players have scored more PL goals than his seven since the league’s resumption in December. Philip Billing is also in a rich vein of form, already bagging six PL goals for Bournemouth – doubling his tally from his previous three top-flight campaigns combined!
Hot streak: Each of Villa’s four PL goals against Bournemouth have arrived in the second half.