Aston Villa desperately need a win to spark their Premier League season into life but it won't be easy when Fulham come calling.
Having been in the thick of the fight for a top-four finish in the last two campaigns, it's a surprise to see Unai Emery's men sitting in the relegation places after five games.
Villa seem to be paying the price for a poor summer transfer window, with the club only spending money on Evan Guessand while Harvey Elliott and Jadon Sancho arrived on deadline-day loans.
PSR restrictions forced their hand so Villa could do with a decent run in the Europa League to boost their finances.
They kicked off with a nervy 1-0 victory at home to Bologna on Thursday, with a bet landing for the Betting Desk as Villa finally claimed their first win of the season.
Taking on Fulham just a few days later is a tall order though, with Marco Silva's well-drilled side as competitive as ever.
The Cottagers have lost just once in seven games all season and even that 2-0 defeat at Chelsea was unlucky as they harshly had an opening goal ruled out by VAR.
How the bookies view it: Villa still have the edge
Despite their dismal Premier League form this season, Aston Villa are 5/4 favourites at BoyleSports with home advantage.
Fulham look a bit overpriced at 23/10 while the draw will appeal to punters at 11/5 after Villa's last three domestic games ended level.
Recent head to head: Fulham floundering
Aston Villa have dominated this fixture in recent seasons, racking up five successive victories. They won 3-1 at Craven Cottage last term then ground out a 1-0 triumph back at Villa Park.
Players to watch: Elliott a threat for Villans
Liverpool loanee Elliott looks like the pick of Villa's summer recruits and he's already off the mark for his new club. The youngster is 2/1 at Bet365 to either score or assist and that looks decent value. He's also 11/10 at BoyleSports for a shot on target and that appeals if he's handed a start.
Alex Iwobi was a regular source of goals from Fulham's midfield last term and got off the mark for this season against Brentford last weekend. The Nigerian is 7/4 at Bet365 to either score or assist in this one.
Probable line-ups
Fulham should revert to their strongest line-up after Silva made a host of changes for the midweek EFL Cup win over Cambridge.
Emery will probably freshen things up a bit for Villa as well with a short turnaround from the Bologna match. But he's short of options in midfield with Amadou Onana, Youri Tielemans and Ross Barkley injury doubts.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Torres, Konsa, Digne, Kamara, McGinn, Bogarde, Elliott, Rogers, Watkins.
Fulham: Leno, Tete, Bassey, Andersen, Sessegnon, Lukic, Iwobi, Berge, King, Wilson, Muniz.
Anything else catch the eye?
With Villa in poor form and coming off the back of a Thursday night game, there could be some value in backing Fulham to get a bit of joy.
Silva's side are 23/20 at BoyleSports to win either half, while backing them in the one goal ahead market pays 21/20. That bet lands if they take the lead at any point.
We only saw one goal when Fulham came to Villa Park last season and BTTS has landed in just one of the last five games for the Cottagers. So betting against both teams scoring here could pay off at 10/11.
Fulham's Sasa Lukic has already amassed four yellows this term for club and county, with the Serb 13/8 at Bet365 to go into the book again.
Aston Villa vs Fulham Betting Tips & Predictions
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