Fresh from confirming a place in the knockout rounds of the Europa Conference League, Aston Villa meet a resurgent Bournemouth in Sunday's Premier League clash at the Vitality Stadium.
Unai Emery's men bested Legia Warsaw 2-1 on Thursday, in a game that was overshadowed by despicable scenes of violence outside the ground, while the Cherries made it back-to-back wins by seeing off Sheffield United 3-1 last weekend.
Having waited all season to open his Premier League account, Marcus Tavernier struck a brace either side of a Justin Kluivert effort to put the game to bed before the hour mark, and while Oli McBurnie gave the disgruntled Blades faithful something to cheer towards the end, his consolation was of little value.
Also revelling in a 2-0 beating of Champions League-competing Newcastle United earlier this month, Bournemouth are slowly leaving their relegation rivals in their wake, sitting 16th in the table but boasting a seven-point advantage over recent foes Sheffield United in 18th spot.
The hosts now have three wins from their last four Premier League games to shout about as Iraola seeks to prolong the feel-good factor on the South Coast, but it has been over five years since Bournemouth enjoyed a three-match winning streak in the top flight, triumphing in four in a row between May 2018 and August 2018.
0 Comments