Stoke City FC v Aston Villa
Football : England, Premier League 2009/2010
Saturday, 13th March 2010 - Kickoff 3pm

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Stoke City

Stoke City went out of the FA Cup last weekend and followed that up by gaining another Premier League point as they edge towards what is considered the 40 point mark that will give Tony Pulis' men another season in the top flight.

The Potters are up to 11th in the Premier League table, and have hit 35 points already with 10 games left to play. Much of their success is based around their record at the Brittania Stadium where they are 6-4-4 this season, scoring 20 goals and conceding 17. The top 3 sides in England have all won here, but Manchester City and Liverpool have not.

They did lose their last home game in the Premier League to Arsenal, but that was their first defeat in 8 games at home in all competitions. They had won 5 of their last 7 at home, with only Liverpool and City gaining draws in that run.

Glenn Whelan, Danny Higginbotham and James Beattie are all doubts for the game although Ricardo Fuller is ready to come back into the side after missing the game in midweek.

Aston Villa

Aston Villa have finally put to rest the story surrounding their lack of wins in this month under Martin O'Neill after winning at Reading last week and moving into the Semi Final of the FA Cup. Now the focus goes back into breaking the top 4 this season after they fell apart at this stage last season.

Villa are 7th in the Premier League, but they are only 4 points behind Tottenham Hotspur who currently hold that coveted top 4 position. However, they have between 1 and 3 games in hand over the sides above them and they have a real shout of moving up the table, but wins at venues like this are imperative. They have a strong 5-4-3 away record, but have only scored 14 goals and conceded 11 in those games. Villa currently have the best defensive record away from home so far this season.

They have only lost 1 of their last 14 games in all competitions, and even in that game they were a little unfortunate to lose to Manchester United in the Carling Cup Final. Villa are unbeaten in their last 5 away games since losing at Arsenal in December and they have won 3 of those games. A possible concern for Martin O'Neill will be the fact that his side, who hold the best defensive record in the Premier League, have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 6 games.

Gabriel Agbonlahor is back in the squad after missing the last game through illness. It will be interesting to see if John Carew can retain his place in the side at the expense of Emile Heskey after scoring 5 goals in his last 3 appearances.

Head to Head

Stoke and Aston Villa have met 3 times since Stoke returned to the top flight and each side has won 1 game.

Stoke beat Aston Villa 3-2 here last season, although it took a 90th minute winner from Sidibe for that to happen.

Prediction

Stoke City have had another memorable season although they are probably a little disappointed they didnt quite cap it with a trip to Wembley after falling at the 6th round stage of the FA Cup. The Brittania Stadium remains one of the tougher venues for visiting teams and this is where Stoke are likely to pick up the points required for survival.

Aston Villa have been solid defensively all season but will be disappointed with their run of failing to grab a clean sheet. They are a big side so will be confident they can deal with the long throw tactics of Stoke, while also being blessed with pace in forward positions to cause problems.

I think it is possible that we can see Stoke lose for the 5th time at home this season in the League. Villa seem to have the tools both defensively and in attack to cause Stoke problems while dealing with their style of football. I am going to pick Villa to win this game, but will also have a bit of the 1-1 scoreline as a saver.

The Statistics :

The Pick :

Stoke City 0-1 Aston Villa

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take Aston Villa to WIN

Consider a 1-1 Correct Score Saver bet at 6.50 at Bet365