Aston Villa v Fulham: Villa to win, but expect late assault
Published:Three wins in their last four fixtures may have helped Aston Villa move out of the relegation places, but their work is far from complete if they wish to ensure they remain outside the bottom three for the duration of the season.
The good news for Paul Lambert is that his team entertain Fulham next, who have never won at Villa Park in the Premier League after 11 previous attempts.
It is 6/5 that Villa continue their winning momentum with another three points and the hope will be that this fixture does not represent their last victory of the campaign, as it did last season.
Then, Villa had accrued enough points to confirm their safety, but it is far from guaranteed that 36 points will be enough this season, which is what they will move onto with a triumph over their London opponents.
Fulham’s recent form is not bad either with three wins in five and now they have an eight-point cushion from the drop zone, they pretty much have nothing to play for.
A Fulham victory can be backed at 11/5, with 23/10 the price that the encounter ends in a draw.
It is no secret that Villa have been far worse in the second period than the first this season. They have conceded 40 times after the interval, which is not only more than any other Premier League side, but more than double the number they have conceded in the opening 45 minutes.
Therefore, backing the 7/4 for the second half to be the most productive in terms of Fulham goals is a no brainer, especially as Villa have not kept a clean sheet in the Premier League in 2013, a run that in its entirety stretches back 16 top-flight encounters.
Meanwhile, it is 20/21 that a goal is scored by either team in the last 15 minutes at Villa Park, which has happened in four of the last five clashes between this pair. The one exception ended goalless.
Furthermore, eight goals have arrived in the last 15 minutes in the last eight Premier League fixtures involving Villa.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
