English Premier
2006-03-25 - Aston Villa vs Fulham
A Sports Betting Pick by Gooner
ASTON VILLA (15th) 8-10-12 34:41
LAST 10 FORM = WLDDW LDWLL
Aston Villa have lost their last two away games heavily, being beaten 0-2 at Blackburn and then 1-4 at Everton and when TV cameras showed Aston Villa chairman "deadly" Doug Ellis shaking his head last weekend you could tell that the noose was tightening around the neck of Villa manage David O'Leary.
Villa have not performed well at all this season, and they're only 4-4-6 at home, but they did win their last match here 1-0 over Portsmouth, and have also recently drawn here with both Chelsea (1-1) and Arsenal (0-0).
Villa do seem a bit leaderless right now and a big injury list to their strikers is not helping, and an end-of-season clear out looms on the horizon.
FULHAM (14th) 10-5-16 40:51
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While we're all aware of the traditional home / away advantage - I cannot remember a team that has taken it to the extremes that Fulham have done this season.
Fulham's home record is top class with 9 wins in their last 11, including a 1-0 win over Chelsea last weekend, and a 10-2-3 record overall.
But when Fulham hit the road, even if it's a simple bus trip to North London, then they instantly become a bit of a shambles and the Cottagers have lost their last 7 games in the row on their way to a 0-3-13 travelling record.
Fulham's win over Chelsea will have really boosted their confidence - but if Fulham concede the first goal then you can see it all going pear-shaped again.
HEAD TO HEAD
Aston Villa have generally had the3 beating of Fulham here at Villa Park winning each of the last four clashes here quite comfortably.
23/10/04 Aston_Villa v Fulham 2 - 0
28/12/03 Aston_Villa v Fulham 3 - 0
09/11/02 Aston_Villa v Fulham 3 - 1
14/10/01 Aston_Villa v Fulham 2 - 0
Earlier in the season Fulham and Villa played out an entertaining 3-3 draw at Craven Cottage in the reverse fixture.
28/12/05 Fulham v Aston_Villa 3 - 3
THE VERDICT
I'd certainly favour Villa here, based almost exclusively on Fulham's woeful away performances and the best price of 2.05 on the home side is certainly a fair bet.
The Pick :
Aston Villa 1-0 Fulham
BEST BETTING TIP :
It's just a wee edge ... but I think that the bookmakers are expecting a rush on Fulham bets after last weekend and so have set their prices on Villa a little high.I'll take ASTON VILLA to win a dour game - and prolong the job of their manager - for another week at least.
