Villama Preview: Aston Villa v Bournemouth

The build-up...

We all hoped for a win, but coming away with a point against West Ham United is certainly acceptable.

Moving on to this week, the Villans host Bournemouth. It’s safe to say they’ve struggled a bit since beating Aston Villa 2-0 at the Vitality Stadium on opening weekend. As of late, they’ve picked things up, winning two of the last four (which is also two of the last eleven, but still), but Villa should be able to pick up points here. Of the last three matches, Bournemouth lost 1-4 to Manchester City at the Vitality, lost at the Emirates to Arsenal 3-2, and bested Liverpool 1-0 at the Vitality.

Players to look out for include striker Dominic Solanke, attacking midfielder Phillip Billing, and midfielder Dango Ouattara.

Last time we met at Villa Park...

Following an opening weekend loss to Tottenham Hotspur during the 2019/2020 Premier League campaign, Aston Villa’s first home match back in the top division in English football was one filled with two costly mistakes, a number of chances that should have gone in for the home side, and a memorable Douglas Luiz thunderbolt in the second half of play.

The line-up...

The lineup this week should be relatively similar to last, with only one change in mind.

Emi Martinez starts in goal, with Alex Moreno at left-back, Matty Cash on the right, and Tyrone Mings partnering with Ezri Konsa at centre-back. In midfield, Douglas Luiz partners with John McGinn while Boubacar Kamara remains out with injury. Jacob Ramsey will play to their left and Bertrand Traore to their right. Nothing against Leon Bailey, but I’d like to see what Traore can do under Unai Emery. Emi Buendia will play in the number 10 position behind Ollie Watkins at striker.

Score prediction...

Having beaten Liverpool last week, it’s obvious that while they’re down, Bournemouth are not out. None the less, I do like Villa to win this 2-0, with Ollie Watkins scoring early and Jhon Duran producing a late one to seal things off.

Photo by Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images