Credit: Imago

Cameron Smith

Sat 9 May 2026 7:10, UK

Burnley host Aston Villa on Sunday, as the relegated Clarets look to spoil what could be a Champions League party for the visitors.

The clash at Turf Moor is set to be between two sides whose seasons could not have contrasted more.

Villa, fresh off the back of securing their spot in the Europa League final, carry their Champions League ambitions in their own hands as they make the trip to Lancashire.

Burnley, on the other hand, sit 19th in the standings, with relegation all but a certainty throughout the term, before it was eventually confirmed just a matter of weeks ago.

Aiming to get back to winning ways in the Premier League, Unai Emery’s side will carry the goal of taking advantage of the soon-to-be Championship outfit.

Supercomputer predicts Burnley vs Aston Villa outcome

Reacting to three losses in a week, the Villans responded perfectly on Thursday, dispatching Nottingham Forest 4-0 at Villa Park on Thursday.

Back in form, they are looking to carry the momentum into Sunday, and the latest prediction from Opta’s supercomputer signals that this is about to happen.

Handed a 58.3 per cent chance of taking all three points, the Villans have been given the tag of firm favourites – signalling the gulf in quality between the two sides.

However, there is a concerning away record that Villa have to fix as they make the trip to Lancashire.

Burnley hand Aston Villa a chance to fix away form

Heading into Sunday’s bout, the troubling reality is that Villa have won just one of their last eight Premier League matches on the road.

Naturally the expectation would be for this to not matter too much against an already relegated side, but during the aforementioned run, Emery’s side fell to defeat against basement dwellers Wolves at Molineux, raising potential concerns ahead of the weekend.

With a clearer schedule this week, the Spaniard is expected to go strong from the off, without too much rotation after Thursday’s win.

But the Villans have to be at their best, with Emery’s side far from ruthless on the road at the moment.

Despite having 61 per cent of the ball in the recent defeat to Fulham, they struggled to create clear-cut chances, with the five forged by John McGinn the most created by a Villa player away from home this season – topping the charts by two.

Creating an xG of 0.71 at Craven Cottage, this should be corrected at Turf Moor.

However, those on the pitch simply must be at their best to do so, taking advantage of the opportunity handed to them as they take a step closer to a Champions League return.