Two of the Premier League's in-form teams go head-to-head when Bournemouth take on Aston Villa in an EFL Cup fourth round tie at the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday.
The Cherries were in the relegation zone after failing to win any of their opening six league games, but victories at home to Sunderland (2-0) and away to Manchester United (3-0) have lifted them to 13th place.
Marco Rose’s side have racked up three successive wins in the UEFA Europa League and are approaching the Villa contest with lots of confidence.
However, they will be up against a Villa side, who have gone through a very similar experience, with regards to a slow start followed by a significant upturn.
The Villans have taken maximum points from their three UEFA Champions League matches and their Premier League revival started with a 3-2 victory at Tottenham before the international break.
Unai Emery’s side continued to progress in October and broke into the Premier League’s top half with Saturday’s hard-fought 2-1 victory at home to Manchester City.
Bournemouth v Aston Villa Tips Summary
Best Bet - Aston Villa to qualify @ 21/20
Alternative Bet - Ibrahim Mbaye anytime assist @ 4/1
Bet Builder - Emi Buendia to score anytime, Ryan Christie to be carded & over 2 goals @ 16/1
Bournemouth v Aston Villa Prediction
Best Bet: Aston Villa to qualify @ 21/20
EFL Cup matches can be a test of squad strength and Aston Villa’s depth of talent may be key to defeating Bournemouth.
Villa undertook a bold rebuild of their squad this summer which included the departures of first team regulars Emi Martinez, Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne and Ollie Watkins.
The midlands side made a lot of new signings and got off to an understandably rocky start to the season while Emery went through the process of putting his jigsaw together.
The shake up was a huge test of Emery’s quality as a coach and a tactician and, on the evidence of the last few weeks, he seems to be passing it with flying colours.
Villa are one of five UEFA Champions League teams with a 100 percent record, and they rose to ninth in the Premier League with their weekend victory over Manchester City.
They seem to be flourishing despite the demands of regular two-game weeks and have plenty of hungry, quality players keen to impress after missing out on Saturday’s starting eleven.
Bournemouth also deserve great credit for going on a four-game winning streak at a stage when their star midfielder, Alex Scott, is stuck on the sidelines.
And they approach the Villa game full of confidence after 3-0 wins at home to Milan and away to Manchester United.
However, Cherries’ manager Marco Rose has relied quite heavily on a core group of players, and his fringe men may just come up short in the midweek match.
Alternative Bet: Ibrahim Mbaye anytime assist @ 4/1
Villa have acquired a lot of exciting young players, including Ibrahim Mbaye, who was persuaded to make the summer switch from Paris Saint-Germain.
Mbaye came off the bench to assist Nicolas Jackson’s second goal against Manchester City and his creative qualities could shine through on the south coast.
Bournemouth v Aston Villa Bet Builder Tip
Emi Buendia to score anytime
Ryan Christie to be carded
Over 2 goals
Pays 16/1
Villa had an immensely strong bench against Manchester City with Mbaye, Emi Buendia and Brian Madjo among the substitutes.
Buendia started the season strongly and was probably a bit disappointed to start on the bench for such a high profile game.
The Argentinian has scored three goals this season and can add to that tally in a high-scoring Villa victory.
One of the consequences of widespread changes for Bournemouth should be a return to the starting 11 for midfielder Ryan Christie.
The Scotland international has been booked on his last two Premier League starts and could be cautioned against Villa.
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Key Match Stats
Bournemouth have won their last four matches without conceding any goals
The Cherries have scored in 19 of their last 20 fixtures
Aston Villa have won their last four matches
Villa are unbeaten in their last seven games
Villa have started the scoring in six of their last seven fixtures
Eight of Villa’s last nine games have featured at least three goals
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
