Key occasions
Teams in short: no Onana for Villa
Unai Emery makes 4 modifications. One appears to be like enforced as Amadou Onana is lacking altogether, presumed injured: his place in the back of the midfield goes to Lamare Bogarde. Behind him, Pau Torres and Lucas Digne are available in for Tyrone Mings and Ian Maatsen. Further ahead, Emi Buendia replaces Ross Barkley.
Teams in short: three modifications for Fulham, Iwobi out
After the stalemate at Brentford this time final week, Marco Silva shuffles the pack. Sander Berge is again to affix his associate within the pivot, Sasa Lukic, for the primary time in ages. Raul Jimenez edges out Rodrigo Muniz because the spearhead and Samuel Chukwueze is available in on the left to interchange Alex Iwobi, who has an injured hamstring.
Preamble
Morning everybody and welcome to the primary Premier League sport of the day. For each these golf equipment, it’s all concerning the European locations.
Aston Villa, fourth within the desk, are nearly a shoo-in for the Champions League. They will return as much as third in the event that they do higher in opposition to Fulham right now than Manchester United do in opposition to Brentford on Monday. And they’ve one other path to the highest desk in the event that they want it – profitable the Europa League, one thing at which their supervisor, Unai Emery, is the world knowledgeable.
Marco Silva’s Fulham, who’re twelfth, are an extended shot for Europe however nonetheless able to dream. If they win this sport, they’ll clamber as much as tenth, with maybe just one extra win wanted to elevate them to sixth. And, simply so as to add sauce, a win right now will go away them degree on factors with their chaotic neighbours, Chelsea.
But first Fulham have to recollect the place the aim is. They’ve drawn 5 blanks of their previous seven video games, scoring solely in opposition to doomed Burnley and tottering Spurs. While Fulham have but to interrupt their duck for April, Villa have scored 12 instances up to now 16 days. Last Sunday, in a rip-roaring fun-fest at Villa Park, they turned the primary staff to attain 4 in opposition to Sunderland this season (although not the last). After a droop that introduced solely 12 factors from 12 league video games, Villa have simply collected seven from three – and, as a bonus, demolished Bologna.
The formbook fancies Villa, who received the reverse fixture 3-1 in September. But then Fulham win extra usually at residence than Villa do away. They don’t need to rotate, they badly want the factors, and the gods certainly owe them a number of objectives, so it ought to be a very good contest. Back quickly with the groups.
