Fulham vs Aston Villa
12th hosts fourth in a vital game for both teams, when the Premier League game between Fulham and Aston Villa is the Saturday lunchtime fixture at Craven Cottage.
In a congested Premier League table, only three points separate Chelsea in sixth from Fulham in 12th, so there will be an almighty scramble for European places, much as there was last term when the Cottagers were one of the teams that narrowly missed out. Aston Villa suffered disappointment at the end of last term too, losing a Champions League slot on the last day, but they are almost nailed on this time around.
The Premier League has a guaranteed five places in Europe’s top competition, and Villa have a 10-point cushion over Chelsea with just five games remaining. It is surely just a matter of time. And the Villans are going well in the Europa League too, hammering Serie A side Bologna last week to make it to the semi-finals of that competition.
Last week, Marco Silva’s Cottagers picked up a hard-earned point in a goalless draw away to Brentford, while Unai Emery’s Aston Villa edged a seven-goal thriller at home to Sunderland. And while the points are arguably more important to the hosts, their visitors will arrive with bags of confidence, and we can be sure of a high-octane clash in the spring sunshine.
Talking Points
Fulham may need Europe to keep their biggest assets
Last week, the Cottagers picked up a point away to Brentford, and it was a big point too, avoiding back-to-back defeats thanks to a brilliant last-minute save from Bernd Leno. Having lost 2-0 to Liverpool last time out, Fulham struggled for fluency and, while taking 11 shots during the game, none were on target, Ryan Sessegnon missing the best opportunity. The Bees thought they’d broken the deadlock in the last minute when Dango Ouattara’s effort flew goal-wards, but Leno made a miraculous fingertip save to earn a draw. It was a crucial moment at the current time, and the Cottagers will hope to build on it to produce a fast finish.
Manager Silva joined Fulham in 2021 and has transformed them from a Championship side to a top-half Premier League outfit. In 2023, he extended his contract until the end of the 2025-26 campaign and, now on the market, he is an attractive option for clubs seeking a new head coach.
European football might persuade the Portuguese boss to stay, and that applies to his star forward Harry Wilson, who joined the Cottagers soon after Silva and is having the season of his life, with 10 goals and six assists, and he too is out of contract in the summer. Plenty of clubs with European football would be happy to take the Welsh wizard, but he is happy in West London.
Wilson’s teammates will do all they can to decide to stay more attractive, and that goes for the boss too.
The Premier League 2026 betting odds say the Cottagers have a decent chance of picking up points on Saturday, but in such a busy race, it has become a must.
Watkins back on song for Aston Villa
Villa had the chance to nail down their fourth place when they played Sunderland and they did so. But they had to dig deep, as the Black Cats roared back from a 3-1 deficit, with two strikes in a minute to take the game into injury time at 3-3. But the roof came off Villa Park when Tammy Abraham popped up to win the game with 94 minutes on the clock.
Star striker Ollie Watkins has been strangely quiet for much of the campaign, but he put in a Man of the Match display, scoring two goals to take his tally to 11 for the league season, while Morgan Rogers scored the other.
A fit and firing Watkins makes Villa a much more dangerous side, and with the excellent Rogers and captain John McGinn making space and providing ammunition for the striker, he is sure to add to the Premier League 2026 highlights in the coming weeks.
History
Villa have had the upper hand in the head-to-head record with 20 victories to 12, and there have been 11 draws in all competitions over the past 43 encounters. The tables are turned at Craven Cottage, though, with Fulham ahead by nine wins to six, while there have been six draws.
But the very latest results paint a glum picture for the West Londoners, who have lost their last seven games against the West Midlands club, going down 3-1 at Villa Park in September and by the same scoreline at the Cottage last season.
One win, two draws, and three losses in all competitions over the last six games is a poor return for Fulham at this stage of the campaign. Meanwhile, the Villans have hit a rich vein of form again at just the right time with five wins and a draw.
Betting Tip
Can Fulham break their seven-match sequence of losses to Villa on Saturday? Well, the pre-match SBOTOP odds say they have a good shout at a price of 2.50, while the visitors are at 2.53.
A repeat of the last two scorelines 3-1 to Villa is priced at 15.00. However, I think the honours will be shared, and I prefer a 2-2 draw at 11.00.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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