Aston Villa host surprising AFC Bournemouth on Sunday, in a sneaky good Premier League fixture. What do we mean by “sneaky good?” We’re talking about a match that should, or at least could, be much better than you initially thought.
Bournemouth are a club on the make, they are indeed going places. However, not sure how many of you thought they’d be in a Champions League qualifying position right now. Villa will have their hands full this weekend.
Aston Villa at AFC Bournemouth FYIs
Kickoff time: 2pm GMT, Sunday November 9, Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
Form Guide Premier League: Aston Villa WWWWL AFC Bournemouth DWDWL
Premier League Position: Aston Villa 15 pts, 11th AFC Bournemouth 5th, 18 pts
Aston Villa Team News
No changes here from midweek. Tyrone Mings and Andres Garcia, the team’s only two fitness concerns, remain sidelined.
Villa has played much better as of late, counteracting that rough start that they had to the season. And if they take care of business here against this south coast club, and some results elsewhere fall their way this weekend, they’ll be back in a table position that would qualify them for a UEFA competition slot for next season.
Here is what we think might be the best lineup for the cause of doing so.
Aston Villa Starting Lineup Prediction vs AFC Bournemouth
Emiliano Martinez; Matty Cash, Ezra Konsa, Pau Torres, Lucas Digne; Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana; Morgan Rogers, John McGinn, Donyell Malen; 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.