Paul Lambert`s young footballers are with quite shaken confidence after several disastrous results. Aside the draw against Swansea last round, Aston Villa got 3 consecutive slaps as they conceded 15 goals and didn`t score even one. Moreover, during the week Villa surprisingly lost against Bradford with 3:1 the match for the League Cup. A loss in this match will send the team of Aston Villa in the relegation zone.
These two teams are direct competitors in the battle to remain in the Premier League and this meeting is of great importance to them. Aston Villa should make the best of their home advantage and with the help of their audience they at least should not lose this game. Recently the team of Southampton proved to be a tough guest. The disturbed team of Aston Villa is the perfect opportunity for guests to take valuable points and leave their opponent in an unenviable position in the fight to stay in the league. The home team lacks quality in key phases of the game, particularly in defense, mainly because of the long list of injured players.
The matches of Southampton recently are not very attractive as in 7 of their last 8 games in the Premier League there have been under 2.5 goals scored. On the other hand, Villa`s weak defense suggests they might receive at least one goal in this match. In the last five games of Aston Villa in the league there have been over 2.5 goals. Southampton enters this match after three consecutive draws, which quite possibly might be the outcome of this clash. Statistically, Aston Villa performs relatively successfully against this opponent (45% success rate). In general, the matches between teams at the bottom of the table are always offering a lot of emotions to the football fans. Certainly, this clash will be very exciting, because the losing team will fall into a very unpleasant situation.