Aston Villa v Southampton Tip

Southampton are outsiders (15/8 PaddyPower) to win against Aston Villa on Saturday but there’s plenty of reasons to think they may leave with the spoils.

The natives will be exceedingly restless after the distraction of a cup run turned into an extension of the turmoil on Tuesday night. Villa were beaten 3-1 by Bradford City of League Two and suddenly the potential respite that a trip to Wembley would offer is decidedly in the balance.

Southampton had the midweek off to recuperate after a bad second half against Chelsea in the FA Cup last weekend. But that shouldn’t be a particular cause of concern for Nigel Adkins or his players. When the Saints last put out their strongest eleven, Arsenal were left clinging on grimly for a 1-1 draw at St Mary’s Stadium.

The south-coast side have been competitive in every Premier League match for months now; they last lost by more than a goal on 5 November. The Villains can certainly claim no such thing. Their Christmas nightmare will be remembered for some time when 15 goals were conceded in three outings without reply.

But Southampton’s greatest source of encouragement may come from the return fixture back in September. The Saints trailed to a Darren Bent goal at half-time only to storm back to secure an emphatic 4-1 victory in the end. That sort of scoreline could have a psychological bearing on both teams now that the re-match has come around.