Bournemouth vs Aston Villa

The stakes are high for Bournemouth and Aston Villa as they lock horns in a must-win Premier League clash at the Vitality Stadium.

Just over a decade since earning their maiden top-flight promotion, Bournemouth could secure European football for the first time in club history. Sitting eighth in the Premier League before this pivotal matchday, Andoni Iraola’s charges are on the verge of qualifying for the UEFA Conference League after coming from behind to defeat Arsenal 2-1 on the road last weekend. Curiously, their first-ever Premier League outing came against Aston Villa in 2015, and beating this opposition to get one step closer to Europe would be a fitting way to extend a five-game unbeaten league run (W2, D3). Despite Villa’s household status, the Cherries will take the field in a buoyant mood after avoiding defeat in their last three top-flight home H2Hs (W2, D1), netting precisely two goals on each occasion.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa bounced back from consecutive defeats – one of which ended their FA Cup journey in the semi-finals – with a narrow 1-0 home win against Fulham last weekend to stay in touch with the top five. However, Unai Emery’s men must produce a strong end to the campaign to secure a second successive season in the Champions League as they sit three points behind fifth-placed Chelsea pre-round. Confidence comes from Villa’s impressive league form that has seen them win six of their last seven matches (L1). Yet, they’ve not won any of their six away league games against teams inside the top eight all season (D1, L5). Emery can buck that trend in Boscombe against Bournemouth – a side he hasn’t lost to in any of his previous seven managerial H2Hs (W5, D2).