The opening fixture of Gameweek 11 will feature Southampton hosting Aston Villa at St.Mary’s Stadium in the English Premier League. The Saints go as the in-form team into this fixture after taking seven points in the last three games. Aston Villa is on a poor run lately and is struggling for points after suffering their fourth consecutive loss in the previous gameweek.
Southampton enters this match after completing a 1-0 victory over Watford in the previous fixture. The Saints are in 14th position and have earned 11 points. They have scored nine goals and conceded 12 in return.
In the game against Watford, Southampton players attempted 11 shots and scored with their only shot on target. The team created an xG rate of 1.77 and dominated the possession. The above viz shows the threat creation zones of the Saints. Kyle Walker-Peters started his fifth match of the season and was playing in the left-back position. He created the highest threat from passes as Southampton attacked a lot from the left side.
Southampton players have made the most number of recoveries in the league. 143 recoveries have been made in the attacking third, 333 in the middle, and 338 in the defensive third.
Scoring goals has been the biggest concern for the Saints. The team has created an xG of 13.91 and scored nine goals. They have created 39 counter-attacks and 291 positional attacks, and the team is ranked in the top-six amongst other teams in the league. The biggest reason behind their low goal-scoring run is the number of shots on target. The Saints have attempted 119 shots, and only 35 shots have been on target with an accuracy rate of 29.4%.
Southampton manager has a fully fit side available for selection. Armando Broja will return after missing the previous match due to injury, and long-term absentee Jack Stephens is also available for selection.
Aston Villa sits one place behind their weekend opponents and have earned ten points in ten games. They have scored 14 goals and conceded 19 in return. Aston Villa suffered their fourth consecutive loss after suffering a 4-1 defeat against West Ham United in the previous round. Villa were reduced to ten men at the start of the second half. The team attempted eight shots and were unlucky, as one of the shots hit the post.
Aston Villa have a very low match tempo this season. The rate is even lower than the three teams below them in the league table. The team has attempted 108 shots and average less than 11 shots per match. Out of these 108 shots, 35 shots have been on target. This is followed by Villa being one of the lowest-ranked teams in the forward passes rankings. Only Watford and Newcastle United have attempted fewer forward passes than Villa.
Dean Smith will be without Danny Ings, Douglas Luiz, and Bertrand Traore for this match. Top goalscorer Danny Ings missed the previous match due to a hamstring injury. Jacob Ramsey could return to the starting 11 after scoring as a substitute in the previous match.
Southampton will have a task in hand when they take on Aston Villa in the Friday night fixture. Villa will look to earn some points after going on a draught in the previous four matches. On the other hand, Southampton will look to extend their unbeaten streak to four matches.
