*All prices in copy correct at time of publication and are subject to change but they’re always spot in with our clever betting banners.
The mercurial Aston Villa tackle the improving Burnley on Thursday night in a fixture which could offer more combative challenges than clear-cut chances. Burnley had been looking uncharacteristically easy to beat for the first part of the season, but boss Sean Dyche has proudly declared they’re getting back to their best following their 1-0 win over Arsenal at the weekend.
For Villa, they’ve started regressing to what was expected of them after a blistering start which saw rise near the summit of the Premier League, hammering champions Liverpool 7-2 along the way. They’ve since lost four of their last six and are in 11th ahead of Wednesday’s fixtures, but will have three games in hand over most of their Premier League rivals come kick off on Thursday, A couple of good results could see them shoot up the table given how tight it is above them.
Thursday 6pm: Aston Villa v Burnley
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So, what does it all mean for this game? Well, probably that it’s going to be a close, hard-fought contest with goals difficult to come by. It really depends which Burnley turns up.
As mentioned, Dyche feels confident that the Clarets of are back and will be looking to strengthen their survival chances, but they will face a side managed by Dean Smith who have already proven this season they can beat the best on their day. Let alone Burnley. With a tricky puzzle to solve, here’s your three best bets.
4 or More Corners for Each Team & 2 or More Cards for Each Team
And I think the best bet on offer for this game comes in the Power Prices markets. 4 or More Corners for Each Team and 2 or More Cards for Each Team is a very appealing price and looks to cover two certainties in this game, corners and cards.
Aston Villa have racked up 46 corners in their last five Premier League games, an average of 9.2 per game. In terms of bookings, they’ve had 12 dished out over the same period at an average of 2.4 per match.
For Burnley, they’ve 23 corners in their last five with 4.6 per match on average, recording less than four just once (three). They even managed four in the 5-0 battering at the hands of Manchester City.
They’ve been more disciplined with just three bookings in the last five games, but if Burnley really are finding their feet you can expect that number to start rising as The Clarets begin getting in their opponents faces more and applying pressure. Add into the mix the Premier League’s most-fouled player, Villa’s Jack Grealish, and this bet has a really good chance.
Both Teams To Score? No
When you picture Villa’s season you think of the high-scoring thrillers and goals flying in all over the place, but Both Teams To Score? No has landed in five of the Midlands side’s 10 games so far. For Burnley, the recollection is the polar opposite.
If you’re a keen follower of the Premier League you’ll have countless hazy images of Dyche looking sour faced in empty stadiums burnt into your memory as his side get hammered by the big teams and lose meekly to the lesser lights. Those memories are not deceiving you as Both Teams To Score? No has come off in eight of their 11 games with Burnley overwhelmingly being the team firing blanks.
With Villa’s scoring rate taking a bit of a down turn of late and Burnley slowly rediscovering the fighting spirit that makes them effective, Both Teams To Score? No feels like a nice play at better prices than the appealing Unders markets.
Jack Grealish to Score First
Clearly we’re expecting this to be tight and who’s the man most likely to step up and make some positive headlines for his side? It’s obviously Jack Grealish. The England midfielder has five goals already this season but has been making waves for all the wrong reasons this week and you can guarantee he’s going to be well up for this contest and desperate to change the narrative, just like he tries to single-handedly change the flow and outcomes of games.
With Burnley defending deep and being well schooled at repelling crosses into the box, Grealish to curl in a free kick or find the bottom corner from range could be the difference in this game. Backing Jack Grealish to Score First in a low-scoring affair here could be the best route to profit in the goal scorer markets.
Tips for Aston Villa v Burnley
4 or More Corners for Each Team and 2 or More Cards for Each Team
Both Teams To Score? No
Jack Grealish to Score First
*All prices in copy correct at time of publication and are subject to change but they’re always spot in with our clever betting banners.
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