Southampton vs Aston Villa Predictions

• Both teams have scored in Southampton’s last four games
• Villa have conceded in all four visits to the bottom five this term
• The visitors have conceded 27 times in 15 away trips in the Premier League

Emery can shuffle his pack

Aston Villa head into this weekend’s trip to Southampton with an eye on their return leg against PSG in the Champions League on Tuesday. The Villains should be confident enough to rotate their squad against a side who are on course for the worst Premier League season in history.

PSG’s late third goal in Paris on Wednesday has left Villa with a mountain to climb in their second leg. They’ll be desperate to secure a return to Europe’s top competition next season, so they can’t afford to drop points away to the side who are propping up the table.

Saints sent packing

Last weekend’s 3-1 defeat to Tottenham saw Southampton become the first Premier League side to be relegated with seven games left to play. The Saints quickly dismissed Ivan Juric after that defeat, sending them back to the drawing board ahead of their return to the EFL.

The main focus for the Saints is dragging themselves beyond Derby’s dismal 11-point tally. Southampton have seven games to earn two points to clear that total. They were able to give Liverpool a scare at Anfield when the Reds were in the middle of a Champions League tie with PSG, so could they hurt this Villa side?

Defensive issues for visitors

Southampton’s poor record mixed with Villa’s run of seven wins from eight means the visitors are worthy favourites for this clash. However, Villa have conceded in each of their four visits to the bottom five, while they host a Southampton side who have seen BTTS land in each of their previous four.

The Saints have scored at home to Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle this term. This Villa side have conceded 27 times in 15 matches on the road, so both teams to score stands out in this one.

However, the Saints have shipped 40 goals at their own ground and they’ll struggle to keep pace with the visitors. Even a rotated Villa side should have too much attacking talent for Southampton to handle. Marco Asensio is likely to come into the starting line-up and the midfielder has eight goals in his last nine games for Villa.