Fulham vs Aston Villa Predictions

• Five of Villa’s last six away league games have featured at least three goals.
• Fulham have won six of their last nine Premier League matches at Craven Cottage.
• The Cottagers have kept four clean sheets in their last 19 home league outings.

Villa just having a wobble

It was curtains for Aston Villa Steven Gerrard after his team lost 3-0 at Fulham last season and there has been a huge transformation at the club since with Unai Emery turning them from a relegation-threatened outfit to top-four contenders.

Strong home form has been the bedrock of their development but there is just a feeling they have lost their way a little and that makes them vulnerable on Saturday’s visit to Fulham.

The Villans were stung by a late goal against Manchester United last time out and they have won just one of their last six matches, which was a 5-0 success at bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United.

The fact their only other league win in their last seven was a 3-2 success over another relegation-threatened team, Burnley, suggests they could be fading, especially as they needed a late Douglas Luiz penalty to claim the three points on that occasion.

Consequently, the shot in the arm that Fulham received  by beating Bournemouth this week could be timely.

Cottagers are a force at Thameside base

Marco Silva’s team have posted just one away victory this season, but no team outside the top seven have won more home games and this looks a good chance for them to take their tally to eight.

Nottingham Forest and West Ham were both handed 5-0 humblings before Christmas and other notable successes included a 2-1 defeat of title-chasers Arsenal.

So this looks a good opportunity for Fulham and they could come out on top even though clean sheets have been difficult to come by on the banks of the Thames.

A repeat of the 2-1 win they enjoyed against the Gunners would not be a surprise and could be of interest to those looking for a correct-score interest.

Muniz is taking his chance

One player’s misfortune can provide opportunities for others and the fact Raul Jimenez has suffered with injury problems lately has presented a great chance for Fulham striker Rodrigo Muniz to demonstrate his value.

The Brazilian heads into this game having netted in the 2-2 draw at Burnley and twice in the victory over the Cherries last week and looks a decent anytime-goalscorer selection.