Bournemouth vs Aston Villa Premier League preview, team news and prediction

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A revitalized Bournemouth side welcome Aston Villa to the Vitality Stadium for a Premier League clash on Saturday afternoon. Unai Emery’s men are aiming to secure their first-ever league double over the Cherries, having thrashed them 4-0 at Villa Park in November.

Bournemouth’s bleak 11-match winless streak in the Premier League, which stretched from November 2 to January 3, now feels like a distant memory. The Cherries have collected 10 points from their last four unbeaten games, easing any lingering relegation concerns. Their recent run includes impressive 3-2 home victories over Tottenham and Liverpool, a 1-1 draw with Brighton, and a 2-0 triumph at Wolves last weekend. This surge has lifted them to 12th in the table, 13 points clear of the drop zone and just six points outside the top six.

Andoni Iraola’s side have proven themselves against the division’s elite, winning five of their last seven top-flight matches against teams starting the day in the top three (losing the other two). They have also taken points off Spurs, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Newcastle this season. However, defensive frailties remain a concern—only the Premier League’s bottom three have conceded more than Bournemouth’s 43 goals, and the Cherries have allowed a league-high 16 goals from set pieces (excluding penalties) this campaign. Only in 2022-23 (21) have they conceded more from dead-ball situations in a single top-flight season.

Bournemouth will be looking to end a six-game winless run against Aston Villa in the Premier League, having previously won four of their first five encounters with the Midlands club in the division.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, arrive on the south coast having lost three of their last six Premier League fixtures—matching the number of defeats they suffered in their opening 18 games of the season. A 4-1 defeat at Arsenal at the end of 2025 was followed by narrow 1-0 home losses to Everton and Brentford, the latter coming despite playing with a man advantage for over 45 minutes. These setbacks have all but dashed any late title ambitions and slightly loosened their grip on a top-four spot.

Despite this, Villa remain third in the table, seven points behind leaders Arsenal, and hold five-, six-, and seven-point cushions over Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool in fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively, with 14 matches remaining.

Emery’s side may welcome a trip away from Villa Park, having won eight of their last 10 away games in all competitions. Only Arsenal have collected more Premier League away points than Villa’s 21 so far this season. Villa are also looking to go three games unbeaten at the Vitality Stadium for the first time, having earned four points from their last two league visits—drawing 2-2 in December 2023 and winning 1-0 in May 2025.

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