Aston Villa have made another impressive start to the Premier League season, but they face a tough test after the international break when they travel to in-form Fulham.
Many people thought Villa would struggle to juggle the demands of Champions League and Premier League football this season after last term’s stunning fourth-placed finish.
But their only defeat so far has come to title-chasing Arsenal, and Unai Emery’s men are currently fifth, just four points behind leaders Fulham.
They have also won both their games in Europe, claiming the scalp of Bayern Munich, so Villa look the real deal.
Fulham will sternly examine their credentials, though, with the Cottagers only three points and three places below them in the table.
Marco Silva recruited shrewdly in the summer and Fulham have lost just twice in the league so far, summing up how hard they are to beat.
How the bookies view it: Cottagers have the edge
Despite their impressive start to the season, Aston Villa are Betano’s 9/5 outsiders for this one, which is probably down to their lengthy injury list. Fulham are the 13/10 favourites with home advantage and the draw pays 5/2.
Recent head to head: Villa out to continue dominance
Aston Villa have bossed this fixture in the last few years, winning five of the last six meetings. Emery's side won both games last term, with Ollie Watkins hitting a double in their 2-1 win at Craven Cottage.
Players to watch: Can Traore find that finishing touch?
Silva is the latest manager attempting to unlock Adama Traore's vast potential and the early signs are good. But the explosive forward still lacks and end product, as we saw in the defeat at Manchester City when he missed three good chances.
Villa's defence usually offer plenty of space in behind so he could get some joy here. Betano price him at 3/1 for anytime scorer while backing Traore to either score or assist pays 11/8 at Bet365.
Watkins haunted Fulham in this fixture last season and will fancy his chances of another goal here. The England striker is 13/8 with Betano for anytime scorer.
Probable line-ups
Fulham look set to be without Jorge Cuenca Barreno, Sasa Lukic and Carlos Vinicius. Aston Villa should have Amadou Onana, John McGinn, Tyrone Mings, Boubacar Kamara and Ezri Konsa back from injuries but they're unlikely to all start.
Fulham: Leno, Tete, Bassey, Andersen, Iwobi, Robinson, Traore, Berge, Pereira, Jimenez, Smith-Rowe.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Carlos, Digne, Torres, Barkley, Tielemans, McGinn, Rogers, Bailey, Watkins.
Anything else catch the eye?
Aston Villa are usually pretty good value for goals at both ends, although we've only seen one strike across their last two outings against Bayern Munich and Manchester United. With Fulham having a lot of firepower I fancy BTTS and over 2.5 goals here, which pays 20/21 with Bet365.
This fixture didn't produce a lot of corners last term, with only four in the game at Villa Park and eight in the Craven Cottage return. Both teams still have the same manager so I like under 9.5 corners at 11/10 with Betfred.
We did see a lot of cards in those matches, with seven yellows in each encounter, so over 5.5 cards appeals here at 11/10 with Bet365.
This English Premier League match between Fulham and Aston Villa will be played on Oct 19, 2024 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Fulham vs Aston Villa prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
