Struggling Aston Villa and their under fire coach Steven Gerrard head to Fulham on Thursday. George Gamble previews the game, selecting a best bet.
Football betting tips: Premier League
2pts Aston Villa Over 10.5 fouls committed at 8/11 (Unibet)
The pressure on Steven Gerrard is increasing after a run of poor results, including a fifth defeat of the campaign last time out at home to Chelsea.
Aston Villa have only won two of their last nine Premier League matches against newly-promoted teams but Gerrard and co need the three points on offer.
Fulham can put some distance between themselves and the relegation zone if they pick up a victory here, but Aston Villa will be desperate to avoid potentially dropping into the bottom three and so this one promises to be a real fight.
Kick-off time: 19:30 BST, Thursday
TV Channel: Amazon Prime Video
Fulham 9/5 | Draw 12/5 | Aston Villa 29/20
Marco Silva will be pleased to have seen his side show their fighting spirit last time out as they fought back twice to secure a point at home to Bournemouth.
They have also already scored more league goals at home this term (10) than they did during the entirety of their last full Premier League season (9).
Unless Aston Villa have a drastic change in form then it’s surely only a matter of time before Steven Gerrard is given his marching orders, the Liverpool legend into heavy odds-on to be the next manager to leave his post.
They’re hovering dangerously close to the relegation zone and after their owners' recent heavy investment, a lot more is expected.
Away from home, the Villains top both of the most fouled per game and most fouls committed per game charts. Combined, their five away league games have seen a total of 27 yellow cards awarded and we can expect to see another physical clash.
ASTON VILLA have committed at least 11 fouls in all of those five away matches and the OVER 10.5 FOULS line does seem a little low.
As such, the 8/11 on the visitors committing at least 11 fouls in total seems a strong pick for this midweek encounter.
Fulham v Aston Villa best bets and score prediction
- 2pts Aston Villa Over 10.5 fouls committed at 8/11 (Unibet)
Score prediction: Fulham 2-1 Aston Villa (Sky Bet odds: 17/2)
Odds correct at 1700 BST (18/10/22)
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