Seventh-placed Aston Villa face eighth-placed Fulham in Saturday’s early Premier League kick off at Villa Park.

While only six points separate the two sides, it’s fair to say they have different objectives. Both are looking to qualify for Europe, but with just four games to go, Villa are aiming for the Champions League spots. While Fulham could mathematically get there too, realistically, they are aiming for the Europa League places.

The Cottagers are enduring mixed form, having won three and lost three of their last six games.

Villa, meanwhile, will be looking to bounce back from two straight defeats. Their last-minute loss to Manchester City cost them ground in the race for the top five while they were dumped out of the FA Cup at the semi-final stage by Crystal Palace last time out.

Fulham ended a run of two straight defeats with a last-gasp victory against Southampton last weekend. This has kept their European hopes alive and they will be travelling to the Midlands full of confidence.

ASTON VILLA VS FULHAM PREVIEW

Aston Villa’s recent record against Fulham is strong. They have won all of the last four Premier League games between the two sides and six of the last seven.

Villa won 3-1 at Craven Cottage earlier this season. Raúl Jiménez opened the scoring for the home side but Morgan Rogers equalised four minutes later. Second half goals from Ollie Watkins and an Issa Diop own goal sealed the win.

Last season’s corresponding fixture was also won by Villa. Antonee Robinson, John McGinn and Ollie Watkins gave the Villans a three-goal lead, with Jiménez scoring a consolation 20 minutes from time.

Marcus Rashford is the only main absence for Aston Villa. The Manchester United loanee picked up a hamstring injury in their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Question marks abound for Rodrigo Muniz, who hasn’t appeared for Fulham in 2025. Reiss Nelson will certainly not feature though.

Emile Smith-Rowe may have earned a place in the starting line-up following his last-minute winner over Southampton last weekend.

ASTON VILLA VS FULHAM – PREDICTIONS

Aston Villa Win
Aston Villa have not lost at Villa Park in the Premier League since being defeated by Arsenal in their opening home fixture of the season. Since then, they have won nine and drawn seven of their 16 home matches. Their recent record against the Cottagers is also very strong.

Draw
While Aston Villa have drawn seven times at home this season, none of Fulham’s last 14 Premier League matches have ended in a stalemate.

Fulham Win
The Cottagers won at Southampton last time out so know what it takes to win on the road. They have also beaten the likes of Newcastle United and Wolves on their travels this year.

PREMIER LEAGUE – TOP SCORER

#	Player	Team	Goals	Assists	Matches
1	Mohamed Salah	Liverpool FC	28	17	36
2	Alexander Isak	Newcastle United FC	23	6	33
3	Erling Haaland	Manchester City FC	21	3	30
4	Chris Wood	Nottingham Forest FC	20	3	34
5	Bryan Mbeumo	Brentford FC	18	8	36

ASTON VILLA VS FULHAM – BETTING TIPS

Aston Villa Win
Aston Villa cannot afford to lick their wounds following crashing out of the FA Cup last weekend. Indeed, this game has assumed even more importance as it’s now their only way of qualifying for Europe. They will be determined to put their last-minute Premier League defeat to Manchester City behind them too and I expect them to get back on track here.

Both Teams To Score
Both teams have scored in the last three fixtures between these two sides. Meanwhile, both teams have scored in both Villa’s and Fulham’s last two Premier League games. Aston Villa beat Newcastle United 4-1 then lost to Manchester City 2-1. Fulham lost to Chelsea 2-1 but then beat Southampton by the same score line.

HEAD-TO-HEAD AND KEY STATS

• Aston Villa and Fulham have played each other 77 times, with Villa winning 29. Fulham have won 26, while there have been 22 draws.
• Aston Villa have won the last four Premier League fixtures against Fulham, and six of the last seven.
• Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has won all six games against Fulham that he has managed.
• Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last 16 home Premier League games (W9 D7).
• Defeat to Manchester City last time out saw Villa’s five-match unbeaten Premier League run end.
• Fulham have won just once in their last 20 games at Villa Park (D7 L12). They have also lost their last five in a row.
• Fulham have not drawn any of their last 14 Premier League games (W7 L7).

Date	Home	Score	Away
03-05-2025	Aston Villa FC	1 - 0	Fulham FC
19-10-2024	Fulham FC	1 - 3	Aston Villa FC
17-02-2024	Fulham FC	1 - 2	Aston Villa FC
12-11-2023	Aston Villa FC	3 - 1	Fulham FC
25-04-2023	Aston Villa FC	1 - 0	Fulham FC