Southampton vs. Aston Villa – EPL, January 30, 2021

When you think about the good press these two clubs have received for their performances this season, it is a little surprising that they both find themselves in the mid-table going into this one.

But there have been injuries and COVID-related absences for both clubs that have affected results – and now a good run would do either of them a world of good.

Southampton is still suffering from a number of injuries to important players, so it is understandable that BetOnline likes Aston Villa’s chances here. But the Saints are still a very good team, and I would have made them favorites to win this one at home. The draw bet looks fairly enticing too.

Southampton couldn’t follow up its FA Cup win over Arsenal with another in the league on Tuesday – and that made it back-to-back defeats for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side for the first time since the opening weeks of the season. There shouldn’t be too much cause for alarm, however.

One of the big problems for Southampton has been the absence of defender Jannik Vestergaard though. He will hopefully be returning next week, but his presence at the back – and in an attacking capacity – has been greatly missed, especially when the likes of Danny Ings are also out.

But there is still a lot to like in the home team. But it should be remembered that Aston Villa has only played two games in 2021 – and one of those was with a team made up of youth team players against Liverpool in the FA Cup. Dean Smith has a number of talented players at his disposal, but the lack of match practice might tell as this game goes on.

The only league game Villa has played was a rescheduled fixture against Newcastle, and the way Steve Bruce’s team has been playing this season, it was not much of a test, to be brutally honest. Jack Grealish will be the beating heart of the Villa team once again, but he will need some help to win all three points.

Aston Villa has been one of the success stories of this season, even with all the problems the West Midlands club has had to face. But not playing as many games as the rest of the league will have an effect at some point – and Southampton could take its chance to make another play for the upper reaches of the table by claiming victory here.