Basque Managers Collide at Villa Park
Aston Villa are set to welcome Bournemouth to Villa Park this weekend in a Premier League fixture that pits two Basque managers, Unai Emery and Andoni Iraola, against each other on the touchline. Both teams will be eager to return to winning ways after suffering defeats in their most recent league outings.
Teams Seeking Redemption After Gameweek 10 Losses
Aston Villa arrived at Anfield last weekend hoping to extend Liverpool's poor run, having themselves been on an impressive four-game winning streak in the Premier League. However, Arne Slot's Liverpool side defied expectations. A costly error from Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez allowed Mohamed Salah to open the scoring, before a deflected effort from Ryan Gravenberch sealed a 2-0 victory for the Reds. Martinez was again at fault for the second goal after his misplaced pass gifted possession back to Liverpool.
That result marked Villa's third league defeat of the season, leaving them in the bottom half of the table. They did, however, bounce back swiftly with a comfortable 2-0 Europa League victory over Maccabi Tel-Aviv in midweek. Their home form remains formidable; Villa have lost just once in their last 23 league matches at Villa Park and are currently on a five-match winning streak at home in all competitions.
Bournemouth also saw a positive run come to an end in gameweek 10. The Cherries' seven-match unbeaten streak in the Premier League was halted by a 3-1 defeat away to Manchester City. Erling Haaland scored twice for the champions, with a goal from Tyler Adams sandwiched in between, before Nico O'Reilly added a late finish. This loss saw Bournemouth, who were as high as second in the table before the weekend, slip to fifth place with 18 points—just three points ahead of Aston Villa.
Historical Context and Match Predictions
The defeat at the Etihad also ended Bournemouth's run of scoring at least twice in four consecutive matches. An ominous pattern from last season may worry Cherries fans: the last time they lost back-to-back Premier League games, the first defeat was against Manchester City and the second was against Aston Villa. That previous loss to Villa occurred at the Vitality Stadium in May and extended Bournemouth's winless run against the Villans to five league games.
With both teams desperate for points, this clash promises to be a compelling tactical battle between two ambitious managers.
