Prediction: Stoke vs Aston Villa

25th December 2011

Stoke may have ended their four-match winning run with a heavy defeat at Etihad, but the Potters won’t spend too much time thinking about the Manchester City game as they can now enter the race for European places with a win over Aston Villa. The Villans could do nothing to avoid the third straight home defeat, and hoping for a win at Britannia looks like wishful thinking.

Stoke have done brilliantly to prove everyone that their controversial style of football can produce great results in the Premier League, but I don’t think too many people believed that the Potters could achieve something in the Europa League. However, not only did Tony Pulis’ side qualified from one of the toughest groups in the competition, but they also managed to keep the rich vein of form on domestic stage. Shrewd summer recruitment and the arrival of quality players like Crouch, Palacios, Woodgate, Jerome and Upson helped improve the strength in depth and it is probably the main reason why the Potters are still going strong all on fronts. Their four-match winning run in the Premiership came to an end as Stoke were easily beaten by Manchester City, but the home game against struggling Aston Villa is a perfect opportunity to further improve their home record. Tony Pulis is hoping to have Peter Crouch back to the side, but Glen Whelan remains a doubt. Ryan Shawcross returns from suspension, whereas Jermaine Pennant, Matthew Etherington and Rory Delap should return after being rested at Etihad.

On paper, Aston Villa possess a squad capable of mounting a serious challenge for European places, but the big problem is that the team are not playing to their potential. The lack of character and decent cover for the first team regulars is proving to be a problem, whereas shaky back line is something that Villa fans have already gotten used to. Their record of 23 conceded goals in 17 Premier League games is not too disappointing, but Aston Villa remain the team that have conceded more goals from set pieces than any other side in the Premiership. With their next opponents almost entirely basing their tactics on dead-ball situations, Alex McLeish’s side clearly have little to hope for before the trip to Britannia Stadium. Big Eck received some good news in the build up to this game as Darren Bent, Emile Heskey and James Collins are all expected to be in contention, although Alan Hutton is suspended.

Conclusion

After beating Blackburn and high-flying Tottenham at their Britannia, Stoke will fancy their chances against struggling Aston Villa, especially as the hosts will be boosted by the return of several important players. Villa, on the other hand, have major problems at the back, meaning that they are likely to need at least two goals in order to avoid defeat at Britannia, which looks like a mission impossible after they scored just two in last five games.

Verdict: Home win Stoke (1)

Best Odds: 19/20

Bookmaker: Stan James