Jamie Carragher predicts Aston Villa showdown v Bournemouth in Premier League
Jamie Carragher expects a close encounter between Bournemouth and Aston Villa on Saturday as they push for European qualification.
Aston Villa will look to build on their victory over Fulham when they visit the Vitality Stadium in the Premier League on 10 May.
Unai Emery’s side sit seventh in the table with three games left and cannot afford to drop more points if they want to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
However, the Villans will be wary of the threats posed by Bournemouth, who are placed eighth in the standings and are also vying for European qualification.
Carragher makes huge Aston Villa claim ahead of Bournemouth clash
Therefore, there is a lot riding on Saturday’s game for both Bournemouth and Aston Villa.
However, Carragher believes the three points are more valuable to the Birmingham-based club, who are that many points behind fifth-placed Chelsea.
| Team | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goal Difference | Points | Form |
| 7. Aston Villa | 35 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 60 | WWWLW |
| 8. Bournemouth | 35 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 53 | DWDDW |
That is why the Sky Sports pundit expects the Villa Park outfit to ‘squeeze past’ the Cherries at a difficult ground, thus predicting a 2-1 win in favour of the visitors on Saturday.
“Aston Villa need all three points at a tough Vitality Stadium, and they will just squeeze past Bournemouth”, Carragher wrote on Super6.
Emery desperate for win at Vitality Stadium
Aston Villa are facing financial constraints ahead of the summer transfer window and need to make at least one major sale before 30 June to avoid sanctions.
It is also imperative that the Villans qualify for the Champions League if they want to go ahead with their recruitment plans for the summer.
That is why Emery will be desperate to walk away from the Vitality Stadium with all three points on Saturday.
The Villa Park outfit face Tottenham and Manchester United in their remaining two league games.
It will be the same for Bournemouth, as Andoni Iraola’s side sit six points and one place behind a Conference League qualification spot in the Premier League.