There’s an absolutely vital contest at the foot of the Premier League table on Saturday with 17th placed Aston Villa hosting 18th placed Southampton in a game that could have massive say in who gets relegated this season.
Villa come into this one with just one win in their last five league games and will be desperate to make their home advantage count. Southampton on the other hand seemed to be improving after their dreadful start to the campaign, until they slumped to back-to-back defeats in their last two matches.
It’s bound to be a cagey affair. Here’s 90min’s preview of the crunch fixture.
Where to Watch
| When Is Kick Off? |
Saturday 21 December |
| What Time Is Kick Off? | 15:00 (GMT) |
| Where Is it Played? | Villa Park |
| TV Channel/Live Stream? | BBC Sport Final Score/BT Sport Score |
| Referee? | Craig Pawson |
Team News
Tyrone Mings will miss the game as he is still recovering from a hamstring strain he sustained in his side’s 4-1 defeat against Leicester earlier this month.
The England international’s absence is a big blow to the Lions’ chances as he has been in tremendous form this season.
Southampton will be without Sofiane Boufal who remains sidelined after he stubbed his toe on his kitchen table in November – breaking it in the process.
Moussa Djenepo will also miss the trip to Birmingham with a hamstring complaint, while Kevin Danso and Yann Valery may miss out with flu and a viral infection respectively.
Predicted Lineups
| Aston Villa | Heaton; Guilbert, Engels, Hause, Targett; McGinn, Nakamba, Hourihane; El Ghazi, Wesley, Grealish. |
| Southampton | McCarthy; Cedric, Stephens, Bednarek, Vestergaard, Bertrand; Ward-Prowse, Hojbjerg, Armstrong; Redmond, Ings. |
Stat Centre
Villa are winless in their past five league meetings with Southampton and the Saints have not lost at Villa Park in the top flight since they won promotion in 2012.
A run of three defeats in a row means Villa are in something of a December rut, and Southampton will be desperate to extend their opponents’ poor recent run as only a win will prevent them from being in the bottom three at Christmas.
Set-pieces could be the gift that keeps on giving. Villa have conceded a league-high 10 goals from set-pieces this season, while six of Southampton’s past eight league goals have come from dead balls.
Head to Head Record
The two sides have met on 76 previous occasions and there is little to choose between them historically. Villa have won 28 of the contests while Southampton have won 25, with 23 games ending in draws.
The most recent meeting between the pair was an absolute cracker in which the Saints ran out 4-2 winners.
In April 2016, a Dusan Tadic brace was sandwiched between goals from Sadio Mane and Shane Long for Southampton, while Ashley Westwood registered Villa’s two consolation strikes.
The game also witnessed significant fan discord at Villa Park with some supporters holding up placards in protest of the club’s unambitious ownership.
Recent Form
Both teams have experienced disappointing starts to the season and find themselves in serious relegation trouble.
Dean Smith’s side have picked up just four points from their last eight games and are only out of the drop zone on goal difference. They did get brief respite from this terrible form in midweek however, putting five past a depleted Liverpool side whose senior players were away at the Club World Cup.
Southampton experienced the nadir of their recent Premier League history in October, when Leicester put nine goals past them to no reply at St Mary’s.
Things haven’t been quite as bad as that in recent weeks but Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have still lost their last two Premier League games, with their defeat to fellow relegation candidates West Ham being particularly distressing.
Here’s how each side has performed over their last five games.
| Aston Villa | Southampton |
| Aston Villa 5-0 Liverpool (17/12) | Southampton 0-1 West Ham (14/12) |
| Sheffield United 2-0 Aston Villa (14/12) | Newcastle 2-1 Southampton (8/12) |
| Aston Villa 1-4 Leicester City (8/12) | Southampton 2-1 Norwich (4/12) |
| Chelsea 2-1 Aston Villa (4/12) | Southampton 2-1 Watford (30/11) |
| Manchester United 2-2 Aston Villa (1/12) | Arsenal 2-2 Southampton (23/11) |
Prediction
It’s a really tough one to call. The absence of Mings could swing the game in Southampton’s favour but with Djenepo and Boufal missing for the Saints, they may not possess the necessary creative abilities to capitalise on Villa’s defensive fragility.
In the end the two sides are most likely to cancel each other out in a nervy encounter.
Prediction: Aston Villa 0-0 Southampton