Jamie Carragher predicts Aston Villa clash v Southampton in Premier League
Jamie Carragher has featured the Premier League clash between Southampton and Aston Villa on Saturday in his latest set of Sky Sports predictions.
Aston Villa will be determined to bounce back from their 3-1 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final tie when they visit St. Mary’s on 12 April.
The result against PSG brought an end to Villa’s impressive seven-game winning run, meaning Unai Emery and Co. have to start from square one against Southampton this weekend.
Southampton, meanwhile, have nothing to play for, as the 3-1 loss against Tottenham last Sunday (6 April) confirmed their relegation to the Championship.
Carragher predicts Southampton v Aston Villa after relegation
Southampton are already looking towards next season, having sacked Ivan Juric in the wake of their relegation and appointed Simon Rusk as the interim manager until the end of the season.
Assisted by Adam Lallana, Rusk will look to cause an upset over Aston Villa with the clear understanding that the Saints have nothing at stake.
| Team | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goal Difference | Points | Form |
| 7. Aston Villa | 31 | 14 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 51 | WLWWW |
| 20. Southampton | 31 | 2 | 4 | 25 | -51 | 10 | LLLDL |
However, the Hampshire-based club will still be no match to Emery’s side, according to Carragher.
The Sky Sports pundit is confident Aston Villa will walk out of St. Mary’s with all three points on Saturday, predicting a 2-0 victory in their favour.
Emery to rotate squad after PSG loss
Emery will be confident about Aston Villa’s chances of earning the win against Southampton, and that is why he will probably make significant changes to his starting line-up.
Having lost 3-1 against PSG, Villa have their work cut out for them in the second leg of the tie at Villa Park on Tuesday, 15 April.
Given the size of the task, the Spanish tactician will ring the changes to try and keep his best players and fit and fresh for the second leg of the tie next week.