Our prediction for this Premier League match:
Southampton and Aston Villa go head to head at St. Mary’s Stadium in what is expected to be one of the most exciting games of Saturday’s program. The Saints experienced all sorts of problems at the back in a 3-1 loss to Arsenal, with the team dropping to 11th place in the standings. Danny Ings has overcome his injury, while Walker-Peters, Romeu, Vestergaard, Smallbone, Salisu, Obafemi, and Djenepo remain on the sidelines through injuries.
The Villans, on the other hand, aim to bounce back from a 3-2 loss to Burnley. Dean Smith’s troops aim to move a little closer to the Europa League berth, and given the number of absentees in the home team, we believe that there is a big value in betting on Jack Grealish and Co. Ollie Watkins, who found the net in the midweek defeat, is likely to lead the line for the visitors.
Highlighted Player (Fraser Forster):
Originating from Hexham, Fraser Forster is an English goalkeeper who spent his early career at Newcastle United, but surprisingly did not make a single Premier League appearance during the seven years at St James’ Park. Forster first showed promise during the loan spell with Norwich City, but it was the stint with Celtic that earned him wide acclaim and saw him become an England international.
After spending four years at Parkhead, the highly rated goalkeeper returned to the Premier League to sign for Southampton and he has since acted as club’s number one goalkeeper. Forster has been a member of the England national team since 2013, usually acting as a back up for Joe Hart, making a handful of appearances in international friendlies.
Forster was in the Three Lions squad at the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016, and with quite a few of good years in front of him, the towering goalkeeper should get the opportunity to win few more England caps before he retires from football.
Highlighted Team (Aston Villa):
Aston Villa is one of the three clubs that dropped to the Championship at the end of the 2015/2016 Premier League campaign. The Villans host their rivals at Villa Park, the stadium that was opened in 1897 and its’ capacity is 42,682. However, it has to be noted that the highest attendance recorded at the stadium was 76,588 when Aston Villa faced Derby County in the FA Cup back in 1946.
Aston Villa’s fiercest rivals are Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion. Nonetheless, the rivalry between Aston Villa and Wolves and Coventry City is big as well. Aston Villa have won seven First Division (Premier League) trophies, with the team clinching seven FA Cup trophies as well.
The team’s biggest success, though, came in 1982 when they won the European Cup. The Villans defeated Bayern Munich (1-0) in the title game and Peter Withe was named the man of the match.