PREVIEW: Aston Villa v Southampton

[dropcap]H[/dropcap]aving spoken to several ‘self-appointed’ football experts over the weekend they all seem unanimous in one forecast. The Southampton bubble will burst soon.

Intriguingly though, not one of them has come up with a solid reason why it will and I’m very much still a bull when it comes to backing Southampton.

Sure, they are the surprise package of the season and no one could have expected them to be in second place, especially after such a poor start.  But they now have huge chances of getting a Champions League spot.

To start opposing them now on the basis that ‘the bubble has to burst’ seems not only folly but an expensive strategy.

And I’m certainly not going to take them on against Aston Villa whose run of six straight defeats came to an end by virtue of a 0-0 draw against West Ham.

Villa’s problems are well documented. They simply cannot find the back of the net and have now scored just once in their last seven games. Shocking.

On the other hand Southampton are going for their sixth straight win – a sequence which started with an 8-0 demolition of Sunderland.

Aston Villa v Southampton
Premier League
8pm SKY

HEAD TO HEAD RECORD
(Maximum 10 matches)
Apr 2014 Premier Aston Villa 0-0 Southampton
Dec 2013 Premier Southampton 2-3 Aston Villa
Jan 2013 Premier Aston Villa 0-1 Southampton
Sep 2012 Premier Southampton 4-1 Aston Villa
Apr 2005 Premiership Southampton 2-3 Aston Villa
Aug 2004 Premiership Aston Villa 2-0 Southampton
May 2004 Premiership Southampton 1-1 Aston Villa
Nov 2003 Premiership Aston Villa 1-0 Southampton
Mar 2003 Premiership Southampton 2-2 Aston Villa
Oct 2002 Premiership Aston Villa 0-1 Southampton

TEAM NEWS

Aston Villa
01 Guzan
21 Hutton
05 Okore
06 Clark
23 Cissokho
08 Cleverley
15 Westwood
24 Sánchez
28 N’Zogbia
11 Agbonlahor
10 Weimann

Southampton
23 Forster
02 Clyne
06 Fonte
17 Alderweireld
21 Bertrand
11 Tadic
12 Wanyama
04 Schneiderlin
07 Long
19 Pellè
10 Mané

I can’t have anything other than a Southampton win and am staking quite high on that outcome at around 3/4 with Star Sports.

RECOMMENDED BETS (scale of 1-50 points)

BACK SOUTHAMPTON at around 3/4 for 24 points with Star Sports

RETURN SINCE START OF WORLD CUP: PROFIT 66.63 POINTS

What’s your view? CALL STAR SPORTS 08000 521 321