Two of the Premier League’s in-form sides meet in the fourth round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday night as Bournemouth host Aston Villa.
After a stuttering start under new manager Marco Rose, Bournemouth have begun to motor in recent weeks.
The Cherries followed their maiden league win of the season, a 2-0 victory over Sunderland, by sweeping aside Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday, a result that could prove to be the final nail in Michael Carrick’s coffin.
The hosts have also made an encouraging start to their Europa League campaign, winning each of their opening three matches, including last week’s impressive 3-0 victory over AC Milan.
Aston Villa have also beaten Manchester opposition recently, defeating Manchester City 2-1 in the Premier League at the weekend.
That triumph extended Unai Emery’s side’s unbeaten run to seven matches across all competitions, six of which they have won, so Villa will arrive on the south coast in high spirits.
How the bookies view it: Cherries to charge on
Bet365 make Bournemouth 5/4 favourites to extend their winning run across all competitions to five matches.
Aston Villa are trading at 2/1 for the win, while the same firm offer 5/2 for the sides to be level after 90 minutes.
Head to head: Advantage Aston Villa
Aston Villa have the edge in this fixture, winning eight of the 17 meetings. Bournemouth have claimed five victories, while the other four games have finished level.
The sides played out a 1-1 draw at the Vitality Stadium last season, and a repeat of that scoreline on Wednesday night is available at 11/2 with bet365.
Players to watch: Christie’s card marked?
Ryan Christie has been booked in two of his last five outings for Bournemouth, which makes the 3/1 on bet365 look decent value for the Scotland international to pick up another yellow here.
Ross Barkley has netted three times in Aston Villa’s last two Champions League matches, so he’s worth considering for a shot on target at 4/5 with bet365. If you want a bigger price, you can get 9/2 for him to hit the target from outside the box.
Predicted line-ups
Bournemouth boss Rose will almost certainly rotate his resources on Wednesday night, but he will be without injured trio Alex Scott, Julian Araujo and Alex Toth, while Veljko Milosavljevic is rated as doubtful.
Villa boss Emery is also likely to shuffle his pack on Wednesday night. On the injury front, Modou Keba Cisse is touch and go, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Matteo Ruggeri and Amadou Onana are all ruled out.
Bournemouth: Di Gregorio; Smith, Hill, Diakite, Soler; Cook, Christie; Gannon-Doak, Brooks, Adli; Rodriguez
Aston Villa: Bizot; Bogarde, Harwood-Bellis, Torres, Mings; Barkley, Goretzka; Mbaye, Buendia, Hemmings; Madjo
Anything else catch the eye?
This looks to have all the makings of an entertaining cup tie, but backing both teams to score is too short to support as a single selection.
The Bet Builder market offers a more appealing angle, with BTTS and both teams to receive a card combining to create an eye-catching 10/11 selection.
That combination has been a winning one in two of Bournemouth’s four Premier League home games this season and four of Aston Villa’s last five top-flight fixtures.
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