Aston Villa vs Fulham prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2025-05-02 11:30.
[p]After being thrashed 3-0 by Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-finals last weekend, Aston Villa’s season rests on their Premier League finish as they chase a return to the UEFA Champions League. Those hopes were dealt a blow by a 2-1 defeat to fellow top-five chasers Manchester City in their last league outing, leaving Villa at risk of losing back-to-back matches in the competition for just the second time since the start of last season![/p]
[p]Nowhere should manager Unai Emery be more confident of avoiding such a fate than on home turf, where his side have avoided defeat in their last 16 league outings (W9, D7). It’s Villa’s second-longest run in Premier League history, and they can move level with their record – also set under Emery in 2023 – with a positive result here, but they’ll have to do so without Marcus Rashford, whose season has been ended by a hamstring injury.[/p]
[p]Visitors Fulham can move to within three points of Villa with a win here, but that certainly looks unlikely considering their recent H2H woes. Marco Silva’s men have lost the last four meetings in the Premier League as well as their last five league visits to Villa Park, leaving the famous ground with three points just once in their last 20 attempts (D7, L12)![/p]
[p]A result either way certainly looks likely given that none of the Cottagers’ last 14 matches ended level (W7, L7), with that record preserved by a 92nd-minute winner against Southampton last week. Fulham had lost three successive Premier League away matches by a one-goal margin before that, so the Londoners will be desperate to stay on the winning trail and close in on equalling their highest-ever Premier League finish of seventh.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Villa captain John McGinn is in line for a 200th Premier League appearance here against a side he’s directly contributed to four goals (G1, A3) in seven previous H2Hs against (W6, L1), including a goal in last season’s corresponding fixture. Fulham’s hero last week was Ryan Sessegnon, who is involved in a Premier League goal every 69 minutes on average this season, a rate only Mo Salah can better among players to play at least 400 minutes.[/p]
[p]Hot streak: Unai Emery has won all six Premier League H2Hs against Fulham.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Ryan Fisher[/i][/p]