An in-depth have a look at the Aston Villa facet we’ll be going through this weekend…
We journey to Villa Park at 14:00 (UK) on Sunday 26 October wanting a fourth successive win within the Premier League.
Pep Guardiola’s Metropolis go into the weekend second within the top-flight, three factors behind leaders Arsenal after eight matches.
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Can we pile the strain on the Gunners?
With the assistance of Opta knowledge, we check out the facet standing in our approach…
Latest type
After a five-game winless begin within the Premier League this season, Aston Villa have since received every of their final three video games.
The one workforce in top-flight historical past to have a five-game winless begin then win their subsequent 4 video games are Preston in 1936/37.
These three wins got here in opposition to Spurs, Burnley and Fulham.
In complete, they’ve 12 factors from their first eight matches and sit eleventh earlier than the beginning of the weekend’s fixtures.
By way of house type, Villa have solely misplaced certainly one of their final 22 Premier League video games at Villa Park, profitable 13 and drawing eight.
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Most popular formation
Unai Emery has favoured a 4-2-3-1 form throughout his time at Villa however has additionally been recognized to play 4-4-2.
Goalkeeper Emi Martinez is nearly sure to begin, whereas others similar to right-back Matty Money, centre-back Ezri Konsa, left-back Lucas Digne and attacking midfielders John McGinn and Morgan Rogers are virtually ever presents.
WATCH: OUR LAST 10 – ASTON VILLA (A) WIDE
Which means rotation in different areas, together with within the central striker function that was previously the only protect of Ollie Watkins, who loved his greatest season in 2023/24 with 27 strikes in complete.
Nonetheless, the England worldwide has only one objective thus far this season so we’ll be seeking to hold him quiet ought to he play on Sunday.
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Summer time exercise
Aston Villa’s switch window was quieter than most within the Premier League, with Ivorian striker Evann Guessand the one main outlay.
Victor Lindelof got here in on a free after his Manchester United contract ended, whereas a number of youngsters got here in from throughout Europe together with Yasin Ozcan, Zepiqueno Redmond and Fletcher Boyd.
Jacob Ramsey was the largest identify to go away in the summertime, heading to Newcastle United. Leander Dendoncker and Alex Moreno additionally discovered pastures new.
Supervisor
An impressive coach for the higher a part of 20 years now, Emery has managed among the greatest golf equipment in Spain, England and France.
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Maybe the earliest of the trendy wave of Basque coaches to face out on the high stage, Emery has intensive expertise within the hardest membership competitions there are.
He started his managerial profession in 2004 with Spanish decrease league facet Lorca earlier than taking in Almeria, Valencia and Spartak Moscow.
It was at Sevilla the place he captured the eye of these exterior his homeland, profitable three straight Europa League titles from 2014 to 2016.
That earned him a transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, the place he was tasked with gelling collectively a star studded squad. He received seven of the eight home trophies accessible to him in his two seasons, however exited the Champions League within the Spherical of 16 each phrases.
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From there, he went to Arsenal to exchange the beloved Arsene Wenger. Emery received 43 of his 78 video games, nevertheless it was maybe an not possible process to exchange the person who constructed the trendy Arsenal.
A return to Spain, this time with Villarreal, yielded one other Europa League success earlier than he bought to Aston Villa in November 2022.
Villa have been at a very low ebb on the time and Emery instantly turned it round earlier than incomes Champions League qualification and among the membership’s best nights in a era.
How they rating their objectives
With eight objectives thus far, Villa are the 14th most prolific facet within the division. That comes from an xG of simply 6.4, which is the second lowest above solely Burnley.
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Such a determine means that Villa will not be making a raft of excellent possibilities thus far however that after they do, they have a tendency to take them.
They’re but to attain a header or from a counter-attack, however that hasn’t stopped them placing in over a 100 open play crosses thus far.
On the possession entrance, Villa are averaging 56.5% in Premier League video games, not far behind Metropolis on 59.9%.
Which means they full round 450 passes per sport, whereas we play 566 so followers can fairly anticipate each side to be affected person on the ball.
Watkins and Rogers have been the 2 most inventive on this fixture for Aston Villa lately, with the previous registering 4 objective involvements within the final six video games in opposition to us and the latter scoring as soon as and helping twice in his three appearances.
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Donyell Malan and Emi Buendia are Villa’s high scorers thus far this season with two every.
How they defend
Villa have additionally conceded eight objectives, which places them sixth by way of defences thus far this season.
Nonetheless, having allowed an xG of 10.5, they’re outperforming the expectation on that entrance and should permit us to create good possibilities of our personal.
Our hosts are notably prone to a lifeless ball scenario.
5 of the final seven Premier League objectives they’ve conceded have come through set items (1x penalty, 1x throw, 3x corners), conceding from a nook in every of their final three video games.
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Additionally they have a tendency to begin video games slowly, having conceded 3 times within the opening quarter-hour already, with solely two groups letting in additional within the early knockings than that.
Goalkeeper Martinez has a save proportion of 70.6% from his six video games, a quantity that locations him ninth amongst the 27 goalkeepers used within the Premier League thus far this season.
Head-to-head report
Metropolis have received 31 video games and scored 101 objectives in opposition to Aston Villa within the Premier League – solely in opposition to Newcastle (32 wins, 106 objectives) have we bought a greater win and scoring report.
That is the 51st time we now have performed within the Premier League, with Villa profitable 9 of them.
Seven of these Villa wins have come at Villa Park, together with within the final two seasons – so Pep Guardiola can be hoping to show that round on this sport.