Aston Villa - Fulham predictions and free betting tips [12/11/2023]

Today during the 12th round of the Premier League, Aston Villa will host Fulham on their home turf. Unai Emery's squad claimed a hard-fought victory over AZ, defeating them 2:1 in the Conference League past Thursday, while the "Cottagers" suffered a minimalistic loss to Manchester United the previous week and find themselves sitting just fifteenth in the league table.

Predicted Lineup

Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Pau Torres, Targett; McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Kamara, Zaniolo; Diaby, Watkins.
Fulham: Leno; Castagne, Bassi, Ream, Robinson; Iwobi, Joao Palhinha, Andreas Pereira; Wilson, Carlos Vinicius, Willian.

Venue

The fixture will take place in Birmingham at the Villa Park Stadium.

Aston Villa

Under the leadership of Unai Emery, Aston Villa continue to impress in this season. The Birmingham squad boasts a superb lineup and more than decent results, which allows the club to aim for a spot in the European cups. Currently, Villa sits 5th in the Premier League table, trailing only 2 points behind the "big four" aiming for the Champions League spots. Last weekend, the Villans suffered an unexpected defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest with a score of 2:0.  Yet, past Thursday Aston Villa overcame AZ Alkmaar 2:1 and ascended to the 2nd spot in their League Conference group. The yellow-and-blue have been performing flawlessly at home: five victories out of five with 20 goals scored - the best record in the Premier League currently. Aston 's attack pair will be Diaby (3 goals and 3 assists) and Watkins (5 goals and 5 assists). Given João Carlos' injury in the game against AZ, Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres will most likely appear in the centre defence, while Emiliano Martinez will take the place in the goal.

Fulham

Last season Fulham found itself comfortably positioned in the middle of the league table, but in the current campaign, the black-and-whites are not doing so well. The London side currently holds the 15th spot in the overall Premier League table, but is still 6 points clear of the relegation zone. In the last 6 rounds, the Cottagers only managed a victory against the struggling Sheffield United (3:1), drew twice and were defeated three times.  The Brazilian forwards Carlos Vinicius (1 goal in 6 matches) and Rodrigo Muniz (0 goals in 5 matches), and Mexican Raul Jimenez (0 goals in 10 matches) will vie for the attacking position, but their productivity is rather uninspiring. On the other hand, the midfield still features the experienced Palhinha.

Head-to-Head

Last season, Aston Villa claimed victory over the Cottagers twice: 0:2 and 1:0. In the last five face-offs, the London side emerged victorious only once.

Prediction for the match Aston Villa - Fulham

Under Emery, Villa has been showing impressive home match results, and the Birmingham side hopes to maintain this momentum this Sunday. At Villa Park, Fulham has lost four times in a row, including a 1:0 defeat at the end of the last season. Given the Cottagers' dire attack efficiency, they're unlikely to stand up to Emery's formidable squad. My prediction - a victory for the home team.