BURNLEY find themselves in the Premier League drop zone in the final week of the season but still have their fate in their own hands heading into this clash with Aston Villa.
While the Clarets are one point behind Leeds at the bottom, they have played a game fewer so a victory at Villa Park would take them out of the bottom three with just one game to go.
They finish with a home clash against Newcastle but caretaker boss Mike Jackson will be desperate to avoid going into that match needing Leeds to slip up at Brentford in their final encounter.
Burnley don't need much in the way of additional motivation but this trip the Midlands give them a chance to avenge the damaging home defeat they suffered against Villa last week.
I backed Jackson's side in the draw no bet market for that match after three successive wins had boosted their survival hopes but they were outclassed as Aston Villa eased to a 3-1 win.
Steven Gerrard's side followed that up by losing to Liverpool and drawing at home to Crystal Palace, summing up their inconsistency since the former England captain took the reins.
And it's hard to predict which Aston Villa side will turn up for the visit of Burnley ahead of a trip to the Etihad on the final day that gives Gerrard the chance to help old club Liverpool in the title race.
How the bookies view it
Despite Aston Villa having nothing to play for, they are favourites at a best 17/16 with SBK which is probably down to that 3-1 win at Turf Moor last week. Burnley's price of 3/1 at Betfred while attract a few punters while the draw pays 27/10 at SpreadEx.
Recent head to head
Aston Villa eased to a 3-1 win last week (below) but here hasn't been much between these teams in recent years. The last eight meetings have produced three Villa victories, two Burnley triumphs and three draws. It was a 0-0 snorefest when these sides faced off at Villa Park last season and Burnley are unbeaten on their last three visits.
Players to watch
Ollie Watkins is ending the season with a flourish for Aston Villa and has netted five times in his last eight games. The striker is 9/5 with Unibet for anytime scorer which looks decent value.
Maxwell Cornet is the classiest player in Burnley's ranks and they will need him to produce some magic in the final few games. The Ivory Coast international is 3/1 with Unibet for a goal and a whopping 6/1 at McBookie for an assist.
Anything else catch the eye?
Going for goals paid off for me when these sides last faced off and it should be a decent game again as Burnley have to go for it. Over 2.5 goals pays just 28/29 this time with SBK but is still worth considering while BTTS is 16/19 at the same firm.
With so much at stake for the Clarets they should be fully committed and it could pay to bet on some Burnley cards. Backing them at -1 in the card market looks good at 15/8 with Bet365 while midfielder Jack Cork is a tempting 3/1 at William Hill to be carded.
Aston Villa had seven shots on target at Turf Moor last week so the 11/10 on offer at Unibet for them to have over 3.5 shots on target back at home looks a good option.
This English Premier League match between Aston Villa and Burnley will be played on May 19, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Aston Villa vs Burnley prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
