The Dugout Discussion – Southampton Vs Aston Villa

Although our gaze is naturally drawn towards the double Gameweek teams, there’s still plenty of Fantasy intrigue amongst the remaining head-to-heads. The first match-up of the weekend sees Southampton play host to Villa, with the Saints looking for a first win in five, while the Villains’ will be hoping to seal their survival with a third straight victory.

Having lost four road matches in the last six Gameweeks, Southampton will be relishing their return to St Mary’s. In spite of their recent troubles on their travels, Ronald Koeman’s side have remained steadfast in front of their own fans and have racked up three clean sheets in the last four home outings. Further up the field, Graziano Pelle netted three goals across Southampton’s previous two at St Mary’s ties and will be determined to further atone for a 14-match barren spell in mid-season.

Despite tallying the bulk of their recent points at home, Tim Sherwood’s Villa outfit have proved that they’re a capable of testing opponents on the road, pushing Manchester City all the way at the Etihad and recording a 1-0 win over Spurs at White Hart Lane. Christian Benteke (10 goals in nine) remains the West Midlanders’ principal threat, while Tom Cleverley (three goals in three consecutive starts) has enjoyed the freedom to roam under Sherwood’s stewardship.

With the FA Cup final in mind, the visitors will surely be going all out for a win today. If Villa can seal their survival, Sherwood will then be afforded the option of rotating his main men for next week’s home encounter against Burnley.