Football

Aston Villa v Fulham Head-to-Head Record: Both clubs housing European aspirations 

April 24, 2023 11:26 pm
Aston Villa v Fulham Head-to-Head Record: Both clubs housing European aspirations 
Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic heads towards goal during the Premier League match at Craven Cottage, London. Picture date: Thursday October 20, 2022. - Photo by Icon sport

Aston Villa face Fulham on Tuesday evening in the West Midlands, with both sides competing for European football for next season.

When Unai Emery arrived at Villa Park, the club were underperforming in 16th place, just one point above the drop zone. However, the Spaniard has turned the club’s fortunes around, propelling the Villans to sixth place.

The 1982 European Cup winners are now pursuing continental football for the first time since the 2010/11 season and are currently on a nine-game unbeaten run. In their last outing, a late Douglas Luiz equaliser snatched a 1-1 draw against Brentford at the Community Stadium.

The away side are enjoying an impressive top-flight campaign after their promotion from the Championship. In their last match, Fulham saw off relegation-threatened Leeds United with a 2-1 victory at Craven Cottage, with eyes now firmly on Liverpool in seventh, seven points ahead of them.

Marco Silva’s team arrive in the Midlands full of confidence, and will be looking to secure the club’s first top-half finish in the Premier League for over ten years.

Aston Villa v Fulham: Overall Head-to-Head Record

Aston Villa and Fulham have faced each other on 23 occasions with the Cottagers having a slight edge over their rivals having won ten times, compared to the home side’s eight.

However, the 2022 second-tier table-toppers are without a win at Villa Park since 2014, and prior to their victories over Leeds and Everton, they had lost their previous four.

Emery’s side have won their last four top-flight home fixtures, scoring nine and conceding none, including a 3-0 demolition of Newcastle United last time out at Villa Park.

Over recent years, Fulham have developed a formidable reputation as a promotion specialist, gaining advancement to the Premier League three times in the past seven years.

Aston Villa v Fulham: Last Five Head-to-Head Matches

Aston Villa 0 Fulham 1 – Championship play-off final – 26/05/2018

The Villans suffered heartbreak in the most valuable football match in the world when Fulham defeated them thanks to a first-half strike from club captain Tom Cairney in a cagey encounter at Wembley.

Fulham had finished one place higher than their rivals and had only missed out on automatic promotion by two points.

Aston Villa found themselves in the play-off final the following season, this time defeating Derby County, returning to the Premier League.

Fulham 2 Aston Villa 1 – FA Cup – 04/01/2020

Fulham secured a consecutive victory over the Midlands club with goals from Anthony Knockaert and Harry Arter.

Overall, it proved to be a positive campaign for both clubs, as the Cottagers would yet again win promotion via the play-offs, whilst Aston Villa would narrowly avoid top-flight relegation.

Fulham 0 Aston Villa 3 – Premier League – 28/09/2020

In the first Premier League meeting between these clubs since 2014, Fulham were run ragged by their opponents, who were inspired by their star player Jack Grealish.

The Villa captain opened the scoring and was an effervescent and untameable force that Fulham failed to contain.

Aston Villa 3 Fulham 1 – Premier League – 04/04/2021

In the West London outfit’s desperate battle to avoid the drop zone, they had taken the lead over their Midlands counterparts thanks to an Aleksander Mitrovic goal.

However, Fulham suffered a nine-minute capitulation that saw Trezeguet score a brace and Ollie Watkins also find the net to condemn the Cottagers to their doomed fate.

Aston Villa would go on to finish 11th, whilst Fulham would once again plummet back down to the Championship.

Fulham 3 Aston Villa 0 – 20/10/2022

The last time these two sides met proved to be a season-defining encounter that has reshaped the future of the Midlands club.

Fulham swept aside Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa to leave the club in 17th position and only outside the relegation zone on goal difference.

Under interim management, the Villans then went on to win 4-0 against Brentford, before losing to Newcastle by the same scoreline, to underline their striking need for a top-class manager.

The Midlands outfit was then 16th and Emery’s appointment has been one of the most effective managerial changes of the season.

His Premier League record stands at 39 points from 19 games, as the Villans have scored in all matches under his stewardship. It has been a magnificent transformation owing to the tactical intuition and impudence of their new boss.

Aston Villa v Fulham: Trophy Head-to-Head

Aston Villa possesses a far more fruitful history winning 24 major trophies compared to Fulham’s total of five.

However, the last time these two competed for a title, it was the Cottagers who prevailed in that 2018 play-off final.

Aston Villa v Fulham: Ollie Watkins’ frightening vein of form

If Fulham are going to come away from Villa Park with any points, Silva will need to find a formula to halt the imperious form of the Midlands marksman.

The forward has registered 15 goal contributions in his last 17 Premier League outings and since Christmas, only Marcus Rashford and Erling Haaland have scored more in the competition.

Meanwhile, Fulham’s top scorer Mitrovic is currently serving an eight-game suspension due to his protests in his side’s 3-1 FA Cup loss to Manchester United.

It is set to be a mouth-watering encounter between these two over-achievers, who are both harbouring serious ambitions of bringing European action back to their adoring fans.

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