Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the English Premier League match.
At last, Aston Villa have claimed their first win of the season — albeit not in the English Premier League, but in the Europa League. A first English Premier League victory is still to come. The next test is a meeting with Fulham.
Aston Villa
In Europe, Aston Villa beat one of the toughest opponents on the fixture list, Bologna 1909 (1:0). The only goal was scored by captain John McGinn. However, a serious issue remains: striker Ollie Watkins lacks confidence. In the 68th minute he failed to convert a penalty, hitting it straight down the middle into the goalkeeper’s hands, even though the goalkeeper had looked visibly nervous before the kick. He still has not scored a single goal despite seven appearances — almost 500 minutes. Aston Villa have only one English Premier League goal across five matches and have underperformed by 3.31 xG. Only Manchester United are worse in terms of xG underperformance.
Fulham
Fulham scored more in the last round (three) than Aston Villa have managed since the start. That tally came against Brentford in a London derby (3:1). For the team, it marked their second successive English Premier League win, following another home success against Leeds United (1:0). This week also brought an EFL Cup victory over Cambridge United of League Two (1:0). Most first-choice players featured, with several introduced from the bench.
Aston Villa vs Fulham Prediction
All of those fixtures were played at Craven Cottage. Away from home the picture is different: a draw and a defeat. However, the opponents were Brighton & Hove Albion (1:1) and Chelsea (0:2), so Aston Villa’s chances remain slim. With a quick turnaround, three days after the Bologna game, that will also play its part. Fulham will leave with at least a point.
