EPL Preview: Aston Villa vs Fulham
Is current form enough to get Fulham a rare road win?
by James Kempton (follow him on twitter @ukbettingpro)
The two sides come into this game in contrasting form: Fulham brimming with confidence following their recent 5-0 whitewashing of Wolves whilst Villa appears to be limping towards the finish line. Aston Villa are a poor 3-4-6 in their own building with their only wins on home soil coming against Norwich, Wigan and Blackburn. Keep in mind not a single one of those sides sit in the top half of the EPL. Fulham isn’t exactly a road juggernaut either as they are 2-5-6 on their travels. However, they have lost just two of their last eight EPL games and one of those was at league power Manchester City meanwhile Aston Villa has mustered just 1 win in their last 8 EPL contests.
With injuries to key striker Darren Bent and the return to LA of the lively Robbie Keane, the home side is struggling for attacking options. Despite the absence of key personnel they will be spurred on by a passionate home crowd to play on the front foot but this isn’t the chosen method of play for their naturally defensive minded coach Alex McLeish. However, McLeish is under pressure to grab some quick wins to ensure Villa’s EPL survival. His move from city rival Birmingham last summer was not well received by the locals. The pragmatic approach he takes to the game has been heavily criticized by both the fans and the local media. When Villa does push men forward into attacking areas this will play right into Fulham’s hands. I see Fulham launching countless counter attacking raids using the pace of Johnson and Duff to wreak havoc on a slow Villa backline. Fulham will provide an attacking threat throughout the game whilst Villa may struggle to break down an underrated Fulham defense.
This looks to be a situation where the books put too much emphasis on home field advantage and a season’s worth of results. Aston Villa are still priced as favourites despite their poor form and struggling offense. That same perceived home advantage has not helped Villa this season as they have felt the added pressure to perform in front of their loyal fan base. It is rare in the EPL to be able obtain such strong value as what Fulham offers in this game so look for the road side to prey on a slumping Villa side playing with fear and nervousness and to leave the capital with a rare road victory.
