Aston Villa will be targeting their first Premier League win in over a month – and second of the season – when they welcome Southampton to Villa Park this Friday night.
Steven Gerrard’s men have made a stuttering start to the new campaign, picking up four points from their opening six games.
The main concern for the Villans will be their profound lack of goals, having found the back of the net a mere five times.
Only four clubs in the Premier League have scored fewer goals than Villa since the start of the season – those being Wolves, Everton, Nottingham Forest and West Ham.
Southampton have done slightly better in front of goal and as a result, their start to the campaign has been stronger.
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have won two of their last four Premier League outings, including a 2-1 victory over Chelsea.
After the opening six games of the season, Southampton find themselves 12thin the standings, just three points away from sixth-placed Blues.
Nevertheless, the big obstacle for Saints will be overcoming their struggles away from home. Southampton have won just one of their last 10 away games in the league – with that sole victory coming last month in Leicester.
Interestingly, Southampton’s struggles on the road are not reflected by their recent form at Villa Park.
Hasenhuttl’s men have won three of their last four games at the ground, and have suffered one defeat from seven.
Goals could also play a factor this Friday night considering the last four encounters between these sides at Villa Park have seen a total of 22 goals scored – an average of 5.5 per game.
One goal has been the difference maker in three of the previous four meetings, while the both teams to score bet has landed in half of their last 10 head-to-heads.
Interestingly, Southampton lead the way when it comes to conceding first this season. Hasenhuttl’s side have conceded the opener five times from their six league games this term.
With all that in mind, the best bets to back are for Villa to open the scoring and for Southampton to salvage the draw.
Key stats
– Southampton have won three of their last visits to Villa Park
– Last four head-to-heads at Villa Park have produced 4+ goals
– Southampton have conceded first in five PL games this season
– Only four clubs have scored fewer PL goals this season than Aston Villa
– Southampton have won just one of their last 10 away PL games
