Southampton vs Aston Villa

St Mary’s Stadium sets the stage for a lopsided Premier League contest between the relegated Southampton and top-five hopefuls Aston Villa.

Last weekend’s 3-1 away loss to Tottenham saw Southampton become the first side in Premier League history to suffer relegation with seven matches of a top-flight campaign remaining. As if the embarrassment cannot be any worse, Southampton could still post the lowest-ever points tally in Premier League history as they still lag one behind Derby County’s 11 in 2007/08. The club sacked head coach Ivan Juric in the build-up to this trip after the Croatian boss averaged the lowest points-per-game of any manager to take charge of 10+ matches in Premier League history (0.29). It’s up to interim coach Simon Rusk to galvanize the downtrodden Saints team against Aston Villa, a side they’ve lost to across their last four H2Hs without scoring.

Southampton’s rough patch must be music to Aston Villa’s ears as they bid to bounce back from a 3-1 defeat at PSG in midweek Champions League action. On the brink of suffering elimination from Europe’s top table in the quarter-finals, Unai Emery’s men return to their Premier League duties, seeking a fourth consecutive victory after a 2-1 home triumph against Nottingham Forest last weekend. Despite starting the round in seventh, the Lions trail fourth-placed Chelsea by only two points, meaning they’re firmly in contention for a second successive Champions League qualifying finish. The visitors’ recent uptick has seen them win back-to-back away league games after winning none of their previous three on the road (D1, L2).