support

Fri 2 October 2015 9:21, UK

Aston Villa v Stoke
Saturday 3rd October at 3pm
Get the best odds and a £30 free bet now by clicking here
“The Potters have won on their last two visits to Villa Park and, if the likes of Marko Arnautovic and Bojan Krkic perform to the best of their abilities, they should be able to increase that tally to three.”
Aston Villa
Aston Villa have been poor this season and rightfully find themselves in the bottom three after three consecutive losses. Villa have not won since the opening day trip to Bournemouth, with their only other point coming at home to fellow relegation candidates Sunderland.
The 3-2 loss to Leicester last month, despite being 2-0 up with 20 minutes to go highlighted Tim Sherwood’s tactical shortcomings and his side’s lack of momentum and was followed by two defeats to bottom-half dwellers in West Brom and Liverpool.
Gabby Agbonlahor and Jose Angel Crespo are doubts for the game, recovering from calf and pelvis injuries respectively. Gary Gardner and Jores Okore are definite absentees, with Gardner recovering from an ankle injury and Okore out with knee problems, but Sherwood has no suspensions to contend with.
Stoke
Mark Hughes has found his third season in charge of Stoke much harder than his previous two, when he guided the Potters to consecutive ninth-place finishes.
His side are languishing in 17th place, only two points ahead of Villa, having earned their first win of the season against newly promoted Bournemouth last week. Inconsistency has been a concern as, despite managing to get a point at White Hart Lane, they have also lost at home to West Brom.
The win against the Cherries was a much-needed one and they will now look to put some daylight between them and the relegation zone, starting at Villa on Saturday.
Xherdan Shaqiri and Marc Wilson are doubts, with Stoke’s record signing enduring a hamstring problem and Wilson battling back from a calf injury. Ryan Shawcross will definitely miss out as the Potters captain is still recovering from back surgery. Like Villa, Stoke have no players banned.
Match Odds
The win last week will have given Mark Hughes and his players a shot of belief as they head to Villa Park. Conversely, Villa seem a team completely devoid of confidence at the moment as they continued their poor run with a loss to Liverpool.
The Villans are 2.56 favourites to win the game, but haven’t won at Villa Park all season nor shown many signs of doing so. Stoke appeal greatly at 3.10 to record successive victories and assume the kind of position that they would have anticipated at the start of the campaign.
The Potters have won on their last two visits to Villa Park and, if the likes of Marko Arnautovic and Bojan Krkic perform to the best of their abilities, they should be able to increase that tally to three.
Both Teams to Score
Fans at Villa Park have had to deal with watching their side fail to find the net in two of their three home league games so far. The only club that they have managed to score against in front of their supporters was Sunderland, who have conceded more goals than anyone else in the division.
The 1-0 losses to Manchester United and West Brom highlight their issues in front of goal and though Stoke haven’t been too clean sheet-friendly of late, they had the top-flight’s joint-fourth best away defensive record last term, achieving three of their five away triumphs without leaking.
Both teams to score is opposable at enticing odds of 2.02 while, with the Potters this column’s fancy for the three points, their price of around 5.10 to win to nil is also worth considering.
Recommended Bet:
Back Stoke to win @ 3.10
Get the best odds and a £30 free bet now by clicking here