Aston Villa will be looking to end a run of four straight Premier League defeats when they head to St Mary's on Friday night to take on an in-form Southampton outfit.
Dean Smith's side are currently 15th in the table, having picked up 10 points from their opening 10 matches, while Southampton sit one point and one position above their opponents in this match.
Match preview
© Reuters
Southampton have won two, drawn five and lost three of their 10 Premier League matches this season to collect 11 points, which has left them in 14th position in the table ahead of Friday's clash at St Mary's.
Ralph Hasenhuttl's side had to wait until the middle of October to record their first league victory of the season, overcoming Leeds United by a single goal, but the win appears to have acted as a springboard, with four more points following in their last two fixtures against Burnley and Watford.
Last weekend, a first-half effort from Che Adams was the difference against the Hornets, and the Saints will now view their next two against Villa and Norwich City as winnable fixtures ahead of a difficult trip to Anfield to face Liverpool at the end of the month.
Only Crystal Palace (six) have drawn more Premier League matches than Southampton (five) this term, but the fact that they have lost just three times - the same number as Manchester United - means that it has been a relatively successful start to the campaign despite some early-season problems.
The Saints have lost just one of their last nine Premier League games against Villa, meanwhile, recording five victories in the process, but the visitors ran out 1-0 winners at St Mary's last term.
© Reuters
Villa, meanwhile, suffered their fourth straight Premier League defeat last Sunday, going down 4-1 at home to West Ham United; Ollie Watkins levelled the scores at 1-1 in the 34th minute, but the Hammers then scored three times without reply to overcome their 10-man hosts.
Smith's side have now dropped down into 15th position in the table, collecting just 10 points from their opening 10 matches, while only Norwich (eight) have lost more league games this term.
Villa sold their inspirational captain Jack Grealish over the summer, but an exciting transfer window for the club saw them bring in the likes of Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey and Danny Ings. As a result, it would be a huge surprise to see them in any relegation trouble this term, but the recent run of results is a cause for concern.
Worryingly, the visitors have a very tough December on paper, taking on Manchester City, Leicester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, which is an indication of the importance of their next three games against Southampton, Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace.
Villa, as mentioned, have a surprisingly poor recent record against Southampton, but they did run out 1-0 winners in the corresponding match in January courtesy of a first-half effort from Ross Barkley.
- D
- L
- L
- W
- D
- W
- L
- L
- W
- D
- L
- W
- W
- W
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- W
- L
- L
- L
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Southampton will again be without the services of defender Jack Stephens due to a knee injury, but on-loan Chelsea striker Armando Broja has been passed fit after recovering from an ankle problem.
Broja will come in contention to start if he can prove his fitness, and it seems likely that he will line up alongside Che Adams as part of a front two on Friday.
Southampton's team is expected to be very similar to the one that started against Watford last weekend, with Nathan Redmond and Mohamed Elyounoussi operating as the wingers in a 4-4-2 formation.
As for Villa, Ezri Konsa is suspended due to the red card that he picked up against West Ham, so Tyrone Mings, who was dropped to the bench for the clash with West Ham, could return to the side.
The visitors will also be without Douglas Luiz, Trezeguet, Bertrand Traore and Ings, but Morgan Sanson and Jaden Philogene-Bidace are available after recovering from illness.
Watkins is a certainty to lead the line, while Bailey and Ashley Young could operate in the wide areas, allowing Buendia to move into the number 10 position for the visitors.
Southampton possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Livramento, Bednarek, Salisu, Walker-Peters; Elyounoussi, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Redmond; Adams, Broja
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Cash, Hause, Mings, Targett; Nakamba, McGinn; Young, Buendia, Bailey; Watkins
We say: Southampton 2-2 Aston Villa
This has all of the makings of an entertaining game of football, with both teams capable of scoring goals. Southampton will be feeling good about themselves after a positive run of form, but Villa are still a very talented outfit, and we believe that Smith's side will have enough to claim a point in an entertaining draw.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Southampton win with a probability of 46.34%. A win for Aston Villa had a probability of 27% and a draw had a probability of 26.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a Southampton win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.35%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.98%) and 2-0 (8.8%). The likeliest Aston Villa win was 0-1 (8.84%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.6%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 12.4% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Southampton in this match.
