Aston Villa continue their mission for European football as they host a Bournemouth side who will once again be playing in the Premier League next season. The hosts have the advantage over their nearest rivals in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification.
Location: Villa Park
Date: 21/04/24
Kick-off: 3.00 PM
Unai Emery has led his Aston Villa team on quite the journey this season and are now within touching distance of the Champions League. The Villains are currently fourth in the league after 33 games played, three points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur. Tottenham Hotspur will have a game in hand as it currently stands but Aston Villa need to take advantage of any potential games they have in the meantime.
By the time Tottenham Hotspur play another game, Aston Villa would have two games played over the London-based outfit. If Aston Villa were to lose this game against Bournemouth, they could face a scenario where if Tottenham Hotspur were to capitalise, they would fall three points behind with only a handful of games left to play. Aston Villa after 33 games played are fourth with 63 points accumulated thus far. The home side have averaged 1.9 points per game this season. Unai Emery’s side have already bettered their tally of 61 points from last season, and they could mathematically finish on 78 points this season.
In the attacking areas of the pitch, Aston Villa have been very consistent. The Villains have scored 68 goals from 33 games- averaging 2.06 goals per game. Ollie Watkins has been a huge contributor to Aston Villa’s attack. The hosts currently boast the fifth-best attack in the entire league.
In the defensive areas of the pitch, Aston Villa tend to concede goals but are supported heavily by their attacking output. Unai Emery’s side have conceded 49 goals this season – averaging 1.48 goals conceded per game.
Aston Villa are still competing on multiple fronts whether that be in the league or the UEFA Conference League where they are at the quarter-final stage. Aston Villa have a second-leg tie against Lille to contend with. The hosts have a 2-1 lead heading into Thursday’s crunch game.
For AFC Bournemouth, manager Andoni Iraola has recovered brilliantly to guide his Bournemouth side to Premier League safety once again. During the early parts of the season, Iraola was under a serious amount of pressure following the dismissal of Gary O’Neil and the results and performances were not up to standard.
Now under his management, they have developed a significant style of play which has guided them towards another year in the Premier League. The Cherries are mathematically safe from the relegation zone and are appearing over the shoulder of teams in the top ten.
Bournemouth are currently 13th in the league after 32 league games and a win could potentially move the Cherries as high as ninth in the league. This would require a unique set of results to happen for this to take place.
The visitors have accumulated 42 points from 32 games played – averaging 1.31 points per game. The attacking output is inferior to Aston Villa’s, but they contributed well in those areas. Bournemouth have scored 47 goals from 32 games this season – averaging 1.46 goals per game.
In the most recent league fixture between the two teams, the points were shared between the two teams. Bournemouth took the lead through Semenyo in the opening ten minutes, before having the lead cut by Leon Bailey ten minutes later. Dominic Solanke restored the lead for Bournemouth and were almost within touching grasp of all three points until Ollie Watkins equalised late on.
Premier League 
