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Aston Villa vs Burnley: 17/12/2020 – match preview and predicted starting XI’s

Aston Villa vs Burnley

Date: 17/12/2020

K/O: 18:00

Venue: Villa Park

Referee: Craig Pawson

TV: Amazon Prime Video

Aston Villa entertain Burnley as both Claret sides look to build upon impressive weekend victories.

Aston Villa make the short trip home following their away win against Wolverhampton Wanderers, as they host a Burnley side fresh out of the relegation zone. The last time these sides met at Villa Park, a late Chris Wood equaliser cancelled out John McGinn’s seemingly match-winning goal, as the sides drew 2-2. However, compared to last season, it’s the home side who have made the better start to the 20/21 campaign and are the favourites to take all three points this weekend.

Villa continued their uncharacteristic away from last weekend, picking up the sixth victory away from home, against local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers. Despite not being the most impressive of performances, Villa were clinical when it mattered most, with a 90+4 penalty being converted by Anwar El Ghazi on his return to first-team action. This result saw Villa jump their rivals into the top 10 and, with two games in hand, put themselves in a great position to solidify their mid-table position over the Christmas period.

The star of many of Villa’s away victories this season has been new signing Emi Martinez, and the Argentinian failed to disappoint yet again against Wolves. Seemingly keeping the Villans in the game for the majority of the match, the former Arsenal showstopper provided save after save, giving a much-needed reassurance to what was a shaky backline last season. With Villa’s away form much improved, the Midlands side need to gain some consistency at Villa Park to push themselves towards the top-six.

Looking ahead to Villa’s midweek fixture, a struggling Burnley side provide them with an excellent opportunity to sort out their inconsistent home form. With some first-team players being rested against Wolves at the weekend, the likes of Trezeguet and Conor Hourihane have opportunities to stake a claim to their starting spot in Villa’s XI. Additionally, the suspension of Douglas Luiz following his double yellow sending off on Saturday provides Marvelous Nakamba with his first opportunity to start in the league this season. Villa’s midfield is expected to be much more compact and less transitional than we have seen this season, which may lead to more wide play through the likes of Grealish and Trezeguet to unlock a stubborn Burnley backline.

The Clarets highlighted their stubborn backline last weekend, seeing out a 1-0 victory against a struggling Arsenal side. A Granit Xhaka red card and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang own goal saw Burnley escape the Emirates with a vital three points, raising them out of the relegation zone into 17th. A typical Burnley performance, the visitor’s frustrated Arsenal all game, with Nick Pope making some vital saves, potentially rediscovering some of his form from last season.

Burnley’s resurgence in recent games after a woeful start has seen them pick up eight points out of a possible 15 in their last five games. With some relatively more straightforward fixtures on the horizon, the Clarets could be on their way to establishing their regular mid-table spot in the league. Never a side to be potent in attack, Burnley’s downfall this season has been their reduced productivity in front of their net, conceding a staggering 18 goals, compared to the six scored. Whilst a lack of summer funding, good additions or motivation could be blamed for their decline in performance, it’s clear that Burnley need to continue their recent resurgence if they want to avoid a relegation scrap come to the end of the season.

Looking ahead to this midweek fixture against Villa, Burnley could see themselves rise above Brighton in the table if they were to win. Villa’s patchy home form is well documented, and despite beating Liverpool 7-2 at Villa Park, the likes of Brighton, Southampton and Leeds have all come away from the B6 with three points in recent weeks. With key Villa players missing, and Burnley off the back of an impressive away victory, the Clarets could seize an excellent opportunity to secure another three points in their fight to escape the bottom three.

Team News:

Aston Villa:

Douglas Luiz will be suspended for this fixture following his red card on the weekend. Trezeguet could return to the starting XI, while his right sides teammate Matty Cash is also suspended following his fifth yellow of the season. Ross Barkley is yet to be declared fit, meaning Hourihane, Nakama, Elmohamady and Traore all could start.

Burnley:

Jack Cork, Phil Bardsley, Dale Stephens and Johann Berg Gudmundsson are all set to miss the fixture.

Predicted Starting XI:

Aston Villa: Martinez, Elmohamady, Konsa, Mings, Targett, Nakamba, McGinn, Hourihane, Grealish, Watkins, Traore

Burnley: Pope, Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor, Brady, Westwood, Brownhill, McNeil, Rodriguez, Wood

Predicted Score: Aston Villa 1-1 Burnley

With both sides missing personnel, this could be a stalemate. Villa’s patchy home form of recent weeks may prevent them from taking all three points in this one, especially given Burnley’s recent resurgence under Sean Dyche. 

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