Bournemouth vs Aston Villa prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2022-08-05 14:00.
Following a two-year hiatus from the top flight, Bournemouth make their Premier League (PL) return with a repeat of their first-ever game in this league, a home encounter with Aston Villa. The Cherries will hope for better than that 1-0 defeat this time around though, as manager Scott Parker looks to end a remarkable trend that’s seen him relegated or promoted in every season in the dugout!
Parker’s men haven’t set the world alight with big spending in this transfer window, but they at least come into this opening day clash with a ten-match unbeaten run in home league games to protect (W6, D4). Maintaining that run may not be easy, given that Bournemouth have won just three of their last 13 home encounters at this level (D3, L7).
Steven Gerrard occupies the Villa dugout, and he has a job on his hands to turn things around after only recording wins against now relegated sides across the last 11 PL rounds (D3, L6). Fairly inactive so far in the transfer market, the former Liverpool man knows what it takes to get the better of Parker though, with just four defeats in 15 clashes during their not so distant playing careers (W9, D2, L4).
A draw could be unlikely if last season is anything to go by as no side recorded fewer than Villa’s one away stalemate last term (W7, D1, L11). They did, however, do almost as well on the road as at home last season (22 points vs 23), with the majority of those points won (16 – W5, D1, L4) when marked up as pre match favourites, as they are here.
Players to watch: Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke was the highest scoring Englishman across the top-four tiers last season (G29), while Villa’s Ollie Watkins has been their top league scorer in back-to-back seasons with three of his last five goals serving as the match opener.
Hot stat: A cursed encounter? One side from Bournemouth’s opening day game was relegated in four of their five prior top-flight campaigns.