Tuesday’s Premier League action serves up some interesting games, the pick of which, Aston Villa vs Fulham, sees Unai Emery’s team continue to make their push for European competition next season. In their way are Fulham, who have won their last two games in a row.
Who will come out on top of this battle under the floodlights at Villa Park? Don’t miss our Aston Villa vs Fulham EPL picks and predictions.
Aston Villa vs Fulham best odds
Aston Villa vs Fulham picks and predictions
Both teams have been a revelation this season. Fulham — freshly promoted — started the campaign brilliantly, and despite a lengthy suspension to talismanic striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, they come into this on the back of two wins. Given that many thought they would be in a relegation fight this year, it’s incredible just how well they’ve performed.
Then you have Aston Villa. They started slowly, causing Steven Gerrard's firing and thus being replaced by Unai Emery. Since then, Emery has gradually transformed this team.
They are a solid collection of players but together they’re better than the sum of their parts. Emery has been fantastic throughout his managerial career and what he has done at Villa is genuinely outstanding. Coming into this game it’s hard to say anything but a win for Aston Villa, which is our best bet for the game.
One of the most impressive things about Aston Villa has been how Emery has got this team organized. They looked terrible defensively under Gerrardm but across Emery’s tenure, they’ve got better and better. They’ve conceded just three goals in their past eight Premier League games, a fantastic return that gives their attacking players the platform to show their ability.
Aston Villa have had a number of great performers this season, John McGinn and Emi Buendia have been superb, but it’s Ollie Watkins who has really excelled. The 27-year-old has been a solid Premier League player since moving to Aston Villa but this year he’s exploded. He’s scored 14 goals in 31 Premier League appearances and is surely now forcing his way into Gareth Southgate’s England plans.
Watkins’ run of form has been exceptional, scoring 11 goals since the turn of the year. And incredibly across his past 13 Premier League games, he’s had just three without scoring. With Watkins in such hot form, it’s hard to imagine him not getting chances.
Fulham have been magnificent this season but without Mitrovic, they just aren’t the same team. That gives Aston Villa the advantage and their defenders will relish not having to face the strong Serbian. We can trust Unai Emery’s team to be defensively strong and I can’t see them conceding one, let alone multiple goals.
My best bet: Aston Villa moneyline (-130 at DraftKings)
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Aston Villa vs Fulham side analysis
Unai Emery likes to send Aston Villa out in a 4-2-3-1, a formation that offers them a lot of defensive protection and fits the strategy of a manager who is generally risk averse.
Emi Martinez should return to the team after being substituted over the weekend with an illness. He’s a big influence on this team and the understanding he has with his central defenders, Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa, is impressive.
The core of the team will see Douglas Luiz and Leander Dendoncker in the middle. McGinn and Jacob Ramsey will be alongside the brilliant Buendia and tasked with supporting Watkins up front.
Fulham will match the formation and have a relatively clean bill of health making it tricky to pick the lineup. One thing we know for certain is that Bernd Leno will be in goal. The keeper, much like Emery in the opposition dugout, has shown his talent this season after a disappointing spell at Arsenal. Kenny Tete has been the team’s defensive standout this year, a really smart fullback who is important at both ends of the pitch.
The positive news is that Joao Palhinha will be starting for Fulham. Alongside Mitrovic, he is the club’s most important player and I’d argue that he’s been the best signing in the Premier League this season — with only Man City’s Erling Haaland being close.
Aston Villa vs Fulham Over/Under analysis
The total goals market is pretty much a pick’em. The Over sits at -110, with Under 2.5 goals clocking in at +100. The trends point towards backing the Over but in total honesty, I think the Under offers better value.
Yes, it’s true that 56.3% of Aston Villa’s games at Villa Park have had Over 2.5 goals, and Over 2.5 goals has happened in 66.7% of Fulham’s road games. However, when I look at this matchup I can’t see Fulham scoring against a team who have kept four clean sheets in their past six games. This looks like a game with a low-scoring Aston Villa win.
Aston Villa vs Fulham game info
| Location: | Villa Park, Birmingham, England |
| Date: | Tuesday, April 25, 2023 |
| Time: | 2:45 p.m. ET |
| TV: | Peacock Premium |
Aston Villa vs Fulham key injuries
Aston Villa: Leon Bailey FWR (Out), Boubacar Kamar CM (Out), Phillipe Coutinho FWR (Out), Matty Cash RB (Out), Emiliano Martinez GK (Questionable).
Fulham: Layvin Kurzawa LB (Out), Aleksandar Mitrovic STR (Out).
Aston Villa vs Fulham recent form
| Teams | Last five matches |
|---|---|
 Aston Villa |
D-W-W-W-W |
 Fulham |
W-W-L-L-L |
Aston Villa vs Fulham weather
Temperatures will be just below 50 degrees when this game kicks off, with cloudy weather.
