Match Preview: Villa v Southampton

Who are we playing?
Southampton on Monday 24th November at 8pm-ish

Where are we playing?
Villa Park

Can I go?
After one goal and one point from the last seven games, tickets will not be hard to come by.

Monday Night Football

Easy to get to?
Should be an absolute doddle, though the German Market and Christmas Shoppers can mean it's a bit hectic if you have to go through town.

Can I watch it on telly?
We are the feature game on Sky Sports Monday Night Football. Yet bear in mind that if you choose to watch at home or in the pub, the players can't hear you telling them how shite they are.

Ronald Fucking Koeman

Big game?
Huge.

After the summer exodus of players and manager, everyone expected Southampton to struggle this term but under determined Dutch legend Ronald Koeman his hastily assembled team, the club has positively flourished and sits proudly in the top four on merit.

The wheels have fallen off as far as Paul Lambert's Villa are concerned. Almost goalless and definitely winless since mid-September, the Villa midfield looks clueless more often than not when in possession, the forwards are firing blanks and the defence - though far better than last season - is still capable of pushing the self-destruct button.

Year after year after year of dire football at Villa Park and broken the spirit of the home crowd and the fire in the belly that used to typify the Villa faithful when things weren't going our way has been replaced apathy and seemingly acceptance that we aren't any good anymore

Craig David

Do Saints have any famous fans? 
Struggling here. There's Man About The House and Robin's Nest's Robin Tripp but he's a) fictional and b) from the seventies. There's also Craig David who may be real but probably doesn't qualify as famous anymore.

We've got fiddle playing scruffbox Nigel Kennedy.

So we win.


Who's playing for us?
With Delph out and Vlaar out, a glimpse of the future. Defensive options are running perilously short so it would give credence to scurrilous rumours surrounding Jores Okore if he has no involvement in this one.

No Benteke so we expect Lambert to plod on with the toothless Gabby/Weiman/N'Zogbia combination, ignoring the claims of Darren Bent and the youthful exuberance and creativity of Jack Grealish.

Pelle's Girlfriend

Carlos Sanchez made a few encouraging forward runs against West Ham but no doubt Paul Lambert has given him a bollocking for it and had any form incisive and attacking play coached out of him.

Who's playing for them?
Key dangers are Graziano Pelle who is scoring goals for fun and of course midfield dynamo Morgan Schneiderlin who ensures that Saints dominate the middle of park through both fair means and foul, though he's struggling with his groin.

He said, She said
“Jores is just coming back from an injury but he’s getting better. We have lost two experienced players who have been playing well.” Paul Lambert

"When we are winning in a game, we keep good organisation. It's important that you don't make stupid mistakes." Ronald Koeman

Any useless stats?
Of course, here you go:

• Southampton have beaten us 22 times while we have 28 wins. There have been 21 draws.

• Last time we beat Southampton at Villa Park, it was August 2004. Darius Vassell and on loan Carlton Cole scored in a 2-0 victory.

• Our first ever encounter with Saints was a Division Two clash in September 1936. We ran out 4-0 winners thanks to goals from Dai Astley, Ronnie Dix, Gordon Hodgson and Frank Broome.
  

• Struggling Villa pulled off an unlikely 3-2 win last season at St Mary's Stadium thanks to a cracking 89th minute winner from Fabian Delph.

Prediction
Going for a 3-0 Southampton win.