Unai Emery is gearing up for a tactical battle against Andoni Iraola as Aston Villa get ready to take on high-flying Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Despite a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City in their last game, Bournemouth still find themselves in fifth place in the table, just a point off second.
Villa, on the other hand, are sitting in 11th place after a run of four consecutive wins was halted by a 2-0 loss to Liverpool. However, they bounced back with a 2-0 victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League.
Bournemouth have been impressive away from home this season, with only Chelsea having more shots on target in away Premier League matches. Emery expects them to be aggressive both defensively and offensively when they visit Villa Park.
The Cherries saw midfielder Alex Scott called up to the England squad, a testament to their strong performances this season. Iraola expressed his delight for Scott and the club as a whole.
In terms of players to watch, Villa will be looking for Emiliano Martinez to bounce back from his error against Liverpool, while Bournemouth will rely on Adrien Truffert’s attacking runs from full-back.
Prediction-wise, Villa have a strong record at home and are unbeaten in their last five Premier League games against Bournemouth. The hosts have a good chance of coming out on top in this matchup.
According to Opta, Villa have a 51% chance of winning, while Bournemouth have a 24.1% chance and a draw is at 24.9%. It promises to be an intriguing clash between two competitive sides.
