The trip to AFC Bournemouth is an absolute must win for Aston Villa. As the band Blind Melon taught us in the 1990s, “three is the magic number.” The Villans have to make up three points in order to catch Chelsea FC for that all important fifth and final UEFA Champions League qualification slot.
They only have three matches left to do it. So the south coast trip is, like we said, a must win, but that’s still not enough. They also need fifth place Chelsea to drop points.
Aston Villa at AFC Bournemouth FYIs
Kick-off time: 5:30PM GMT, Saturday May 10, Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, UK
Form Guide Premier League: Aston Villa WWWLW AFC Bournemouth DWDDW
Premier League Position: Aston Villa 60 pts, 7th AFC Bournemouth 8th, 53 pts
AVFC Preview Material: Team News Starting Lineup Prediction
Actually, there is more- they also need sixth place Nottingham Forest to drop points too. In other words, their UCL prospects for next season are in peril right now. But anyway, they need to just focus on what they can control (to an extent), and that’s taking care of business on the south coast.
Here is the best lineup for doing so.
Aston Villa Starting Lineup Prediction at AFC Bournemouth
Emiliano Martinez; Matty Cash, Ezra Konsa, Pau Torres, Lucas Digne; Boubacar Kamara, Youri Tielemans; Morgan Rogers, John McGinn, Jacob Ramsey; Ollie Watkins
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter