Aston Villa welcome Fulham to Villa Park on Saturday afternoon, hoping to halt a late-season slump and end their campaign on a high note. Unai Emery’s side were fighting on three fronts just a few weeks ago, but PSG dashed their Champions League dreams, and they were humbled by Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Add a gut-punch defeat to Manchester City in the league, and Villa’s season is now hanging in the balance.
A top-four finish looks beyond them, but with European qualification still likely, they’ll want to reassert control at home, especially against a Fulham side who have made a habit of being either brilliant or baffling, sometimes within the same 90 minutes.
Marco Silva’s team remain in contention for a top-eight finish, and while that might not guarantee European football, it adds an edge to their final few fixtures.
They looked out of ideas for long spells against bottom-of-the-table Southampton last weekend but pulled off a dramatic comeback to take all three points – a result that summed up their chaotic potential.
This fixture has all the ingredients for entertainment and goals at both ends.
Both sides like to get on the ball and be brave in possession, while also turning the ball over and committing men to quick transitions.
The flip side of that is the space they tend to leave behind, especially in wide areas, and both sides have enough talent to exploit that shortcoming.
Credit: football365.com
