Aston Villa vs Fulham – News and Probable Lineups

Aston Villa and Fulham are both aiming to clinch a third successive victory in the Premier League when they meet at Villa Park on Saturday evening.

Each team is also looking to recover after being eliminated from the EFL Cup in the fourth round midweek, with Villa suffering a defeat at Bournemouth and Fulham losing at home to Crystal Palace.

Match overview

Aston Villa has put their slow start to the season firmly behind them, and their traditional ability to find form in the autumn has returned, highlighted by an impressive 10 points from their last four Premier League matches.

Unai Emery’s team has managed to secure victory in just two of their past 12 matches during August and September (D5 L5), while winning eight out of ten fixtures in October and November (D1 L1), including consecutive wins against Newcastle and Manchester City this season.

Last weekend, Villa became the first team to defeat the current leaders, Manchester City, as the in-form striker Nicolas Jackson netted twice in a 2-1 home win, propelling the Midlands side to ninth in the Premier League standings, only two points shy of fifth-placed Chelsea.

However, Villa’s impressive seven-match unbeaten run across all competitions came to an abrupt end on Wednesday, with a heavily altered lineup succumbing to a 3-0 loss at the hands of a high-flying Bournemouth side in the EFL Cup, marking the seventh consecutive season they missed out on a quarter-final berth.

Determined to quickly “move on” from that setback, Emery will look forward to facing Fulham this weekend, having secured victory in eight of his nine Premier League meetings with the Cottagers, giving him an impressive average of 2.67 points per game – surpassed only by Pep Guardiola (three, won 12/12) and Mauricio Pochettino (three, won 6/6) among managers with five or more games against Fulham.

Pressure had been building on Fulham’s new manager Alvaro Arbeloa following a winless streak of six matches to start the Premier League, but his squad has since recorded two much-needed 1-0 victories over Hull City and Coventry City.

Oscar Bobb scored a fabulous winning goal ten minutes from the end at the CBS Arena last weekend, lifting the Cottagers from 15th place, just a point above struggling Manchester United and only three points adrift of the top six early in the season.

However, Fulham could not build on that successful outing midweek, suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat at home against Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup, even though Arbeloa felt they had “three or four clear chances” to score.

A lack of clinical finishing – marking just their second game of the season in all competitions where they failed to score – was a bitter disappointment, but some may argue that an early cup exit could ultimately benefit Fulham in their efforts to retain their top-flight status for a fifth consecutive year.

Seeking their third successive Premier League win for the first time since December 2025, Fulham has managed to win only one of their past seven matches against Aston Villa (L6). Nonetheless, that lone victory came in their most recent clash, where Ryan Sessegnon secured a narrow 1-0 home win back in April.

Team News

Aston Villa’s Amadou Onana (ACL) will be a long-term absentee, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka (hamstring) and Matteo Ruggeri (thigh) will need more weeks in recovery before making their returns to the first team.

Emery is expected to revert to the same starting XI that faced Manchester City, with Matty Cash, Victor Lindelof, and Pau Torres all back in defense as Boubacar Kamara partners with Joao Gomes in deeper midfield positions behind Johan Manzambi.

After scoring four times in his last four Premier League outings and seven in total since joining Villa, Jackson is anticipated to replace 17-year-old Brian Madjo in the attack, with John McGinn and Alysson possibly contributing from the flanks. Alejandro Garnacho is expected to start on the bench.

Regarding Fulham, Ryan Sessegnon is serving his third and final match of suspension, which means Antonee Robinson will continue at left-back.

David Affengruber and Emile Smith Rowe both missed the midweek cup loss due to unspecified problems, but they should be available for selection on Saturday, with Affengruber likely to return to center-back alongside Calvin Bassey.

Despite Gonzalo Garcia going seven matches without scoring, Arbeloa is likely to keep faith with him, starting him in the attack ahead of Rodrigo Muniz, while Joshua King, Alex Iwobi, and Bobb will provide support in attack.

Aston Villa probable starting XI:

Suzuki; Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Mattsen; Chamber, Gomes; Alysson, Manzambi, McGinn; Jackson

Fulham probable starting XI:

Leno; Castagne, Affengruber, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Charles; Bobb, King, Iwobi; Garcia

While Villa’s EFL Cup exit with a rotated lineup drew some attention, it is expected to be a minor hiccup for Emery’s side, who have gained momentum in the Premier League in recent weeks.

Considering that Arbeloa’s transitional Fulham squad is still very much developing, the visitors may face a challenging afternoon at Villa Park as they attempt to contain Jackson and his teammates during what could be a comprehensive home win.