Aston Villa V Stoke City Betting – Saturday 19th December

Aston Villa V Stoke City

Saturday 19^th December – 15:00 GMT

Aston Villa

League Position: 4th

Recent Form: DDWWW

Villa are going from strength to strength of late and Tuesday night, at the Stadium of Light, was the setting for Villa’s third win in quick succession after victories over Man Utd and Hull City. Now Villa return to being firm favourites in a home encounter with Stoke City which will be tough but should result in three points for Martin O’Neill’s men, points that would cement even further their top four stance.

After a miserable failed assault on the top four last season, Villa have come on strong for their second charge and appear to hold all the aces heading into a crucial part of the season. After a run of six games unbeaten, four wins and two draws, Villa appear to be unbeatable at present, with even the likes of Tottenham (1-1), Man Utd (0-1) and Sunderland (0-2), all failing to get the better of a young and talented Villa crop. Now, though, Villa face a test of different proportion when a tough, rigid and robust Stoke City pay them a visit at Villa Park.

Last season, Villa couldn’t handle the abundance of strength and determination Stoke had to offer, drawing 2-2. However, Villa now have all the momentum going into this tricky looking home fixture and now only a win will do for a Villa team which should be good for the failed experience of last season. They will have learnt some harsh lessons that you can’t simply turn up and expect the points to fall into your lap, and that a lot of hard work is needed. They’ve quickly come to terms with that this season and are reaping the rewards already.

Against Stoke City, Martin O’Neill will have to alter his tactics from all out attack to a more solid formation. The travelling Potters will be very tough to break down and although bombarding the midfield with creative players may seem a smart tactic, a more solid approach would be the call from us. Stewart Downing, who has played very well in his last two starts, should be dropped to allow Nigel Reo-Coker to step in, while Petrov is more than capable of anchoring a forward thinking midfield. Emile Heskey could be handed yet another start as his aerial prowess should at least equal that of Stoke’s lanky defenders.

This will be an interesting match up for an in form Villa as Stoke will look to take advantage of Villa’s lack of strength. Stewart Downing, Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor to some extent, are three of Villa’s more creative players in the final third and yet are often found wanting in physical affairs, especially the former two. Against out-an-out talent and technical ability, villa have proven that they are more than a match for any team this season. However, Stoke bullied them off the park in both encounters last season and there will be slight reservation over both their physical and mental strength ahead of this game.

Stoke City

League Position: 11th

Recent Form: LWDLD

Tony Pulis and Stoke were one of just two clubs to receive the week off as their expected opponents had European commitments. That should, though, play into their hands after a disappointing 2-2 draw at home to Wigan last Saturday. A game which Tony Pulis will have pinpointed as ‘very winnable’. Nevertheless, the show must go on but now what lies in front of them is a far greater challenge than the one gone before them as they prepare themselves for a trip to Villa.

The venue shouldn’t be a stumbling block for Stoke as they handled the surrounding perfectly last season, although Villa Park is hardly rocking in any Villa fixture. However, where Villa have plenty of form to build upon and heaps of momentum, Stoke have very little of either and have to come to terms with the fact that it’s now been three games since they last won a Premiership fixture, but it’s been well over a month since Stoke last recorded a win on the road.

In eight away outings this season, Stoke fans will only remember one game fondly and that was their 1-0 victory away at Tottenham Hotspur, one of the shock result of the season, although Tony Pulis won’t see it like that as he thinks his side can beat anyone on any given day. However, with exception to that surprising away success, Stoke haven’t fared at all well on the road this season, losing half of their away fixtures thus far. Of the 21 points they’ve accumulated thus far, just seven of those have come from their away ventures and the Potters have lost in two of their previous three away outings.

The Brittania kept Stoke a float last season and it looks as though it will do the same this season, also. However, they did earn a point at Villa Park last season and their opponents aren’t all that dissimilar to the Tottenham team they beat at the end of October. If that game at White Hart Lane was anything to go by then Stoke will set up in a very defensive manner, putting plenty of men behind the ball and aiming to capitalise on any set-pieces or counter attacks that come their way. It’s a precarious tactic but they’ve become the master of it since their arrival to the Premiership last season, but will Martin O’Neill be wise to Tony Pulis’ thinking?

Head-to-Head (Last 10):

Aston Villa W: 0 Stoke City W: 1 Draws: 1

The form book may favour Aston Villa but it’s Stoke City who edge in front on the mental battle in the knowledge that they’ve yet to be beaten by Aston Villa after two meetings. They beat Villa 3-2 in the early encounter at The Brittania, but they did just as well to earn a draw at Villa Park, 2-2 the final score. Villa scored twice in both games, and John Carew found himself on the score sheet in both games. In the latter game, though, the 2-2 draw at Villa Park, Villa led 2-0 up until the 87^th minute before Stoke scored two late goals to spoil the early Villa celebrations.

Match Verdict: Draw – 4.30 Bet365

This will raise a few eyebrows with our regulars as Villa have been on of late and they will take some stopping. However, Stoke have one of the most frustrating sides to play against if you’re a team focused only on winning through attacking at every given opportunity. Villa are one of those sides and Stoke are a team that can put up a brick wall type of defence, especially when on the road. For us to be right we need a big performance from Stoke City and a workmanlike display at the back. However, Stoke have proven on so many occasions since their arrival into the Premiership that they are capable of such a feat and the odds on Stoke frustrating Villa are certainly worthwhile.

Match Odds:

Aston Villa – 1.44 Boylesports

Draw – 4.30 Bet365

Stoke City – 10.00 Coral

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Both teams to Score – 2.10 WilliamHill