Preview:Aston Villa vs Bournemouth – prediction, team news, lineups

Basque faces Basque in Sunday’s intriguing Premier League battle at Villa Park, where Unai Emery‘s Aston Villa collide with Andoni Iraola‘s Bournemouth.

Neither side claimed any points from their most recent top-flight encounters, as the Lions lost their bite in a 2-0 reverse to Liverpool, while the Cherries fell to a 3-1 defeat at Manchester City’s home.

Match preview

The Anfield stage was set for Aston Villa to prolong Liverpool’s misery last weekend, as Emery’s men entered the clash with the wounded champions on a four-game winning run in the Premier League, in stark contrast to the Reds’ four-match losing sequence.

However, Arne Slot’s crop ripped up the form book to finally end their top-flight plight, as Mohamed Salah capitalised on an Emiliano Martinez howler to break the deadlock before Ryan Gravenberch’s deflected strike erased any doubt.

The Dutchman’s second-half effort also came about thanks to Martinez, whose aimless long ball landed right back into Liverpool’s possession after the Lions’ previous failures playing out from the back at Anfield, where the Lions were the masters of their own downfall.

Villa’s third top-flight loss of the season means that they reside in the bottom half of the Premier League table ahead of gameweek 11, but after events in midweek, the West Midlands outfit have now prevailed in a fabulous five straight home matches in all competitions.

Emery oversaw a routine 2-0 Europa League triumph over Maccabi Tel-Aviv in front of a full house of Aston Villa supporters, who have seen their side lost just once in their last 23 Premier League contests on home territory.

Both Villa and Bournemouth mourned the loss of their unbeaten Premier League runs in gameweek 10, which the Cherries entered having strung together a seven-game sequence without defeat in the top flight, but the Erling Haaland test proved too challenging.

Man City’s Nordic powerhouse struck twice either side of a Tyler Adams goal at the Etihad, where Iraola’s men at least kept the game competitive before Nico O’Reilly’s smart low finish, which helped bump City back into the podium spots at Bournemouth’s expense.

The Cherries were looking down on 18 other teams at the start of gameweek 10 but have now slipped to fifth in the standings, where their total of 18 points leaves them just three above Aston Villa in the bottom half.

Defeat to Pep Guardiola’s side also snapped Bournemouth’s four-game sequence of scoring at least two goals, and the superstitious crowd should look away now – the last time the Cherries lost back-to-back Premier League matches, the first defeat came against Man City, and the second against Aston Villa.

That reverse to the Lions came at the Vitality Stadium back in May, a result that extended Bournemouth’s winless Premier League run against Aston Villa to five matches, prior to which they remarkably bested the Villans four times in a row.

Aston Villa Premier League form:

Aston Villa form (all competitions):

Bournemouth Premier League form:

Team News

Long-serving Villa defender Tyrone Mings still cannot catch a break, as the Englishman sustained a serious hamstring injury in the loss to Liverpool last weekend and is now expected to be sidelined until 2026.

Mings is one of two fitness concerns for the Lions to manage alongside Andres Garcia, who is still some weeks away from returning from an unspecified issue, but the hosts otherwise have a full squad available for Sunday.

Emery therefore had the luxury of resting several big names in midweek and will now recall the likes of Lucas Digne, Matty Cash, Boubacar Kamara and John McGinn – fresh from signing a new contract – to the starting XI.

Youri Tielemans is also fit and available again following a calf injury, but it may be too soon for the Belgian to be thrown back into the lineup from the off.

On Bournemouth’s end, Iraola was forced to withdraw Tyler Adams in the latter stages of the City loss due to a contact knee injury, but the American midfielder has made a full recovery and is available for selection this weekend.

Antoine Semenyo and Alex Jimenez are also good to go following minor knocks at the Etihad Stadium, meaning that Iraola is set to have every single player available to him this weekend, including England new boy Alex Scott.

The midfielder was called up to Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the first time on Friday and is once again expected to partner Adams, who has made the third-most interceptions (17) in the 2025-26 Premier League season.

Aston Villa possible starting lineup:

Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Onana; Malen, Rogers, McGinn; Watkins

Bournemouth possible starting lineup:

Petrovic; Jimenez, Diakite, Senesi, Truffert; Scott, Adams; Semenyo, Kluivert, Tavernier; Kroupi

We say: Aston Villa 2-2 Bournemouth

Only Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea have struck more Premier League goals on the road than Bournemouth this season, unsurprising given that the Cherries have had the second-most shots on target in away matches so far this term with 24.

Do not be surprised to see the visitors bag a couple against a Villa side prone to defensive errors – Martinez has made seven alone leading to a goal since 2020 – but the Lions’ returning first-teamers can bite back just as hard in an entertaining draw.

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