Match Pack: Aston Villa vs Saints
Saints are back on the road this weekend with a trip to Aston Villa in the Premier League. Get the lowdown with our Match Pack...
THE MATCH
Aston Villa vs Saints
Premier League
Villa Park
Saturday 7th December, 3pm GMT
THE OFFICIALS
Referee: Darren Bond
Assistants: Lee Betts, Richard West
Fourth official: John Busby
VAR: Peter Bankes
Assistant VAR: Simon Bennett
WHICH KIT WILL SAINTS BE WEARING?
Saints will be in their yellow and blue away kit for the match in the Midlands.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Villa ended a run of eight-games without a win by seeing off Brentford at Villa Park in midweek and will want to build some momentum heading into the busy festive period.
Conversely, after four-games without victory Russell Martin’s side will be targeting a first league away win of the campaign, needing to close ground on those in the bottom six.
TEAM NEWS
Missing a host of players on Wednesday night, Saints will welcome back suspended trio Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Flynn Downes and Tyler Dibling for this weekend’s trip.
They will lose captain Jack Stephens however, who starts the first of a four-game ban having been sent off against Chelsea for an off-the-ball incident. Aaron Ramsdale remains sidelined with a finger injury with Paul Onuachu ruled out for another week.
Defender Jan Bednarek is touch and go to feature against his former club and will be assessed on Saturday morning.
THE MANAGERS
Unai Emery: To follow.
Russell Martin: "We’re going to do loads of little things to keep trying to be better. The way we analyse the opposition, the way we analyse ourselves and last season was the same. Sometimes you just need something to shift the energy, a win away from home or something like that and winning changes everything."
TOP SCORERS
Aston Villa
Goals:
Jhon Durán 8
Ollie Watkins 7
Morgan Rogers 4
Assists:
Youri Tielemans 5
Ollie Watkins 4
Bailey, Rogers 3
Southampton
Goals:
Cameron Archer 4
Armstrong, Harwood-Bellis 3
Aribo, Fernandes, Bree 2
Assists:
Mateus Fernandes 3
Dibling, Walker-Peters, Lallana, Taylor 2
Armstrong, Sugawara, Kamaldeen 1
ONES TO WATCH
Ollie Watkins: On the score sheet in midweek, the striker has also been involved in 10 goals in his last five Premier League appearances against promoted clubs, scoring four and assisting six.
With 11 goal contributions already this season, the England international will want to round off a good week at home for the Villains.
Tyler Dibling: Having sat out the midweek loss to Chelsea through suspension, the 18-year-old will likely make a return to the starting XI after his impressive performance at Brighton last time out.
Dibling’s driving run played a pivotal roll in Flynn Downes’s strike at the Amex and played an equally important role in Cameron Archer’s disallowed effort. Saints will need the teenager to be at his best once again in Birmingham.
HEAD TO HEAD
Played: 84
Villa: 32
Draws: 23
Saints: 29
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
January 2023: Saints 0-1 Villa
September 2022: Villa 1-0 Saints
March 2022: Villa 4-0 Saints
November 2021: Saints 1-0 Villa (Armstrong)
January 2021: Saints 0-1 Villa
KEEP UP TO DATE
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