Aston Villa in search of back-to-back PL victories as Burnley clash looms.
Aston Villa vs. Burnley kicks off at 14:00 [GMT+1] on Sunday, October 4, at Villa Park.
Aston Villa welcome Burnley to Villa Park looking to continue their strong record against promoted sides and extend their excellent home form. Aston Villa head back to Premier League duties following a 2-0 win over Feyenoord in the Europa League on Thursday night. Villa have beaten Burnley in each of their last two Premier League meetings, including a 3-2 win at Villa Park in December 2023. The last time they managed three or more consecutive league victories over the Clarets dates back to March 1900, when they put together a run of five straight wins. Villa’s recent dominance against newly promoted opposition is another key factor. Unai Emery’s side are unbeaten in their last 16 Premier League matches against such teams (W12 D4), a sequence stretching back to October 2022 when they lost 3-0 away at Fulham. Unai Emery’s side has also turned Villa Park into a fortress. Since the start of September 2024, only Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool have collected more Premier League points at home than Villa (44 – W12 D8 L1). No ever-present side has lost fewer home matches in that time either, with Emery’s men suffering just one defeat, a record matched only by Liverpool. There is, however, a small twist of history to note: the last time Scott Parker faced Villa as a manager, his Bournemouth side claimed a 2-0 win on the opening day of the 2022-23 campaign. He will be hoping to engineer a similar upset with Burnley. Nevertheless, Aston Villa would toy with the possibility of remaining unbeaten in four Premier League games. Ollie Watkins will be at the attacking end of Villa’s 4—2—3—1 formation when Villa make their appearance.
Burnley’s recent visits to Villa Park have brought little joy, and history suggests another difficult afternoon could be on the cards. They have not suffered back-to-back away league defeats to Villa since April 1966, but their current form points to a side struggling to make an impact on the road. The Clarets have made a poor start to the 2025-26 season. They have just four points from their opening six games (W1 D1 L4) and are yet to register a single point away from Turf Moor (L3). Burnley have lost each of their last four Premier League games on the road. They last endured a longer losing streak away from home in the top flight between November 2016 and February 2017, when they were beaten in seven successive away matches. Eighteenth-placed Burnley [WLLDL] could take the shape of a 4—3—3 formation with Lyle Foster at the heart of the trio.