Match Pack: Aston Villa vs Saints
After a fortnight away from action, Southampton return to the Premier League with a trip to Aston Villa on Friday night. Get ready for the match in the Midlands with our Match Pack, in association with eToro…
Aston Villa vs Saints
Premier League
Villa Park
Friday 16th September, 8pm BST
Referee: Tony Harrington
Assistants: Lee Betts, Ian Hussin
Fourth official: Robert Jones
VAR: Paul Tierney
Assistant VAR: Darren Cann
Saints will be in their traditional red and white home kit for the trip to Villa Park.
Friday night’s showdown will be broadcast live by Sky Sports for UK subscription holders.
With the international break looming, both sides will be looking to head into the two-week wait until their next Premier League outing with a win.
For Saints, bouncing back from defeat at Wolves will be important if a solid mid-table start is to be maintained, while Villa are aiming to pull away from the bottom three.
Outside of the drop zone on goal difference, Steven Gerrard will be keen to ease the pressure on his tenure with three points.
There are no new injury concerns for Ralph Hasenhüttl to worry about, with Roméo Lavia (hamstring) and Tino Livramento (knee) the only absentees.
THE MANAGERS
Steven Gerrard: To follow.
Ralph Hasenhüttl: "They are full of high individual quality in the team and after a not so easy start in the Premier League, which is normal, they are starting to play better and the last game against Man City showed how good they can be at home.
"For us, we had some very good games there in the past and last year was one of the not so good ones for us, so we want do things better than last season."
ONES TO WATCH
Boubacar Kamara: A marquee signing in the summer from Marseille, the holding midfielder has started all seven of Aston Villa's games so far in 2022/23.
If Villa's attacking talent is to thrive, Kamara's ability to break up play and start off attacks will be pivotal for the home side.
Sam Edozie: The teenager made an exciting cameo off the bench at Wolves last time out, completing more take-ons than anyone else on the pitch in just 17 minutes.
Fearless, the winger’s direct play could be vital either from the start or from the substitutes bench.
Ings, Bailey, Luiz 2
Watkins, Buendía, Digne 1
Ollie Watkins 2
Ings, Bailey, Buendía, Ramsey 1
Ché Adams 4
A.Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Aribo, Lavia, Walker-Peters, Ballard 1
A.Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Mara, Perraud, Djenepo, Bella-Kotchap, Payne 1
Played: 82
Villa wins: 30
Draws: 23
Saints wins: 29
March 2022: Aston Villa 4-0 Saints
November 2021: Saints 1-0 Aston Villa (A. Armstrong)
January 2021: Saints 0-1 Aston Villa
November 2020: Aston Villa 3-4 Saints (Ward-Prowse 2, Ings, Vestergaard)
February 2020: Saints 2-0 Aston Villa (Long, S. Armstrong)
Che Adams has scored four of Southampton’s six away goals in all competitions this season, netting braces against Leicester City in the Premier League and Cambridge United in the EFL Cup.
Can't make the game? We’ve got you covered! We’ll bring you all of the action from Villa Park, as well as a host of behind-the-scenes access.
Check out our interactive match centre at southamptonfc.com, with all of the live in-game updates and free audio commentary of the match, and be sure to follow us on social media for further updates and exclusive content:
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