Bournemouth v Aston Villa prediction, expected line-ups, how to watch and stats

Seb Sternik 09 May 2025 4:41 PM

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Bournemouth and Aston Villa will both be looking to continue their pursuit of European football when the two meet at the Vitality Stadium this Saturday.

Having got the taste of Champions League football this year, Villa will undoubtedly want another dose of those big European nights next season.

In order to get there, Unai Emery’s men will have to secure a top five finish – something that’s not necessarily beyond them but does require other results to go in their favour.

The Villans enter the weekend in seventh, three points adrift of fourth-placed Newcastle and fifth-placed Chelsea – two teams that play each other on Sunday afternoon.

With that in mind, this is the perfect opportunity for Villa to close the gap and pile the pressure on their rivals in the hunt for Champions League qualification.

However, Villa will first have to navigate their way past a tricky Bournemouth side who have got their own European ambitions.

Depending on the outcome of the FA Cup final, an eighth-placed finish could be enough to secure Europa Conference League football. For a club that was playing in League One not that long ago, getting themselves into a European competition would be a truly remarkable achievement.

Andoni Iraola has taken the south coast club to the next level, and it won’t be a surprise to see the Spaniard snapped up by a bigger club in the near future.

The same could be said about Unai Emery. When the Spaniard arrived at Villa Park, the club was struggling following a poor spell under Steven Gerrard. Few would have ever imagined that Villa would go on to rub shoulders with the likes of Bayern Munich and PSG in the Champions League.

With those big European nights at stake, there’s plenty of motivation for both teams ahead of this big Saturday night encounter.

Here, we take a closer look at everything you need to know about this Vitality Stadium clash.

Bournemouth v Aston Villa prediction

Bournemouth come into Saturday’s fixture in high spirits after beating Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates last weekend. That result extended their unbeaten run to five games in the Premier League.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, shook off their successive defeats to Man City and Crystal Palace with a 1-0 home win over Fulham. Emery’s men have won seven of their last nine games in the Premier League, including three away from home.

Villa will also take encouragement from the fact they’re unbeaten in their last four against the Cherries, picking up two wins along the way.

The three most recent head-to-head encounters all saw both teams score, and we’re backing that trend to continue.

In terms of specific players to watch, Evanilson is certainly one of those names. The Brazilian has six goal contributions in his last seven outings for Bournemouth and is capable of causing Villa’s defence plenty of problems.

You can back any of these tips, check the live odds and grab some offers with Betway

Bournemouth team news

Bournemouth’s win at the Emirates was somewhat dampened by Dango Ouattara’s groin injury. The forward will be unavailable for the rest of the season.

Ouattara’s potential absence is good news for Antonine Semenyo who could start after setting up the winning goal against Arsenal.

In terms of other injuries, Luis Sinisterra, Ryan Christie and Enes Unal will all remain on the sidelines.

Bournemouth expected line-up

Aston Villa team news

On-loan forward Marcus Rashford is the big absentee for Villa, with the Manchester United man currently going through rehab in Dubai.

Apart from Rashford, Emery has a fully fit squad at his disposal for the trip to the south coast.

Ollie Watkins is expected to lead the line as he looks to bolster his goal tally for the season, which currently stands at 15 in the Premier League.

Aston Villa expected line-up

Bournemouth v Aston Villa how to watch and listen

Bournemouth v Aston Villa will be broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Ultra HD, NOW TV, SKY GO Extra and Sky GO. Live radio coverage will be available on BBC Radio 5 Live.