Southampton vs Aston Villa
Date: 30/01/2021
K/O: 20:00
Venue: St Mary’s Stadium
Referee: Lee Mason
TV: Sky Sports
Two of this season’s most impressive sides face off on Saturday evening as Southampton host Aston Villa.
Southampton host Aston Villa in what will be a great battle for a possible European place come to the end of the season. Both Southampton and Villa have had strong starts to their campaign, and find themselves challenging for Europe ts the mid-way stage, tied on points with only goal difference separating the sides. In the reverse tie, James Ward-Prowse announced himself as one of the best set-piece specialists in the league, as the Saints toppled Villa 4-3. This time around, Villa will look to learn from their mistakes, as they need to take advantage of their games in hand to climb the table.
The hosts come into the tie off the back of a disappointing defeat to Arsenal. To say that Southampton would have been disappointed following a defeat to Arsenal shows how far the Saints have progressed this season. Following a lightning opener from Stuart Armstrong in the third minute, Arsenal amounted a calculated comeback to leave 3-1 victors.
One thing Ralph Hasenhuttl will be looking to set right is Southampton’s inability to see out a lead. Since the Austrian took charge of the Saints, no other side has dropped more points from winning positions. This has a huge impact on a side’s ability to progress up the table, as demonstrated by the Saints’ opponents Villa last season. Dean Smith has solved this issue for the most part for his Villa side, and if Hasenhuttl can replicate this, Southampton could easily find themselves pushing for Champions League football in the near future.
Looking ahead to this weekend’s tie, we could expect changes to the side that faced Arsenal, as Villa play with greater intensity in the press and counter. Ryan Bertrand could return to face his former side, and Shane Long or Nathan Redmond could come in to give Southhampton a different element to their attacking play. With one win in their last seven, the Saints will need to start turning their form around to continue to compete for Europe.
It’s been a mixed bag of results for Villa recently; however, they come into the fixture off the back of an uncharacteristic sloppy defeat to Burnley. Similar to their game against Newcastle last weekend, the Villans were in complete control in the first half, entering the break 1-0 to the good. However, unlike the Newcastle game, Villa struggled to keep composed in the second half, eventually succumbing to a Burnley turnaround, to drop all three points arguably.
Smith will be looking to set things right this weekend, as he admitted his side were far from their best against the Clarets. Changes in attack could be expected as Villa failed to score so many clear cut chances. Trezeguet and Anwar El Ghazi’s return to fitness come at a crucial time for the Villans, as signs of post-COVID-19 fatigue are starting to show.
There are positives looking ahead for Villa. Ollie Watkins seems to have found his goalscoring boots and looks to score for a third successive game. Villa’s options in the wide positions could allow both Jack Grealish and Ross Barkley to play more direct centrally, a style which Southampton could struggle to combat. Finally, Morgan Sanson will most likely make the bench and could make his debut in Claret and Blue. His arrival from Olympique Marseille will add a much-needed depth to Villa’s already strong midfield and could provide them with an extra dimension in their high-intensity style.
Team News
Southampton
Ryan Bertrand returns from suspension; however, Kyle Walker-Peters remains out.
Aston Villa
Bertrand Traore, Trezeguet and Anwar El Ghazi are all fit and ready to compete for the winger position. All have impressed this season. Morgan Sanson could feature, though will likely start on the bench.
Predicted Starting XIs
Southampton (4-4-2): McCarthy; Valery, Bednarek, Stephens, Redmond; Walcott, Diallo, Ward-Prowse, Armstrong; Adams, Ings
Aston Villa (4-3-3): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Luiz, McGinn, Barkley; Grealish, Watkins, Traore
Predicted Score: Southampton 2-1 Aston Villa
Villa have a poor history against the Saints, and this could continue this weekend. Neither side comes into the tie in great form; therefore, it could be feasible to see Southampton take the home advantage, with a greater fitness level, to topple Aston Villa.
