The curtains will fall on Gameweek 7 of the 2025/26 Premier League season on Sunday before players head out to represent their national teams during the international break. The action on the day will start with four simultaneous matches, including Aston Villa vs Burnley at Villa Park.
Aston Villa had arguably the easiest fixture list to begin the 2025/26 season. However, the Villans were slow off the blocks, and they struggled to even score goals in their first few outings. But the situation has turned around in the last ten days, as they have stitched a three-match winning run, including the 3-1 victory over Fulham in Gameweek 6.
On the other hand, Burnley will be a part of the relegation scrap this season despite producing several promising performances. The Clarets have managed only four points in six Premier League games thus far, even though they stretched Manchester United and Liverpool to their limits. Nevertheless, Scott Parker’s men have shown that they can give top-flight clubs a run for their money.
Aston Villa clinched a narrow 3-1 win the last time they hosted Burnley in a Premier League game, with Douglas Luiz scoring the match-winning goal. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Unai Emery has a new injury concern that is hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Aston Villa manager may be bereft of the services of as many as half a dozen first-team players vs Burnley on Sunday.
Emery is sweating over Emiliano Martinez’s fitness after the Argentine international picked up a minor calf issue during the warm-up routines ahead of the UEFA Europa League game against Feyenoord earlier this week. The veteran goalkeeper accompanies Tyrone Mings (ankle), Ross Barkley (match fitness), Amadou Onana (hamstring), Youri Tielemans (calf), and Jadon Sancho (illness) on the sidelines.
Marco Bizot will deputise for Martinez between the sticks, with Aston Villa lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Burnley on Sunday. The backline will feature Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, and Lucas Digne.
As for the midfield unit, John McGinn and Boubacar Kamara will pair up in the double pivot, with Emiliano Buendia reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Youri Tielemans will lead the line for Aston Villa against Burnley on Sunday, with Evann Guessand and Morgan Rogers being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Bizot; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; McGinn, Kamara; Guessand, Buendia, Rogers; Watkins
Unlike his counterpart in the Aston Villa dugout, Scott Parker has no new issues to worry about ahead of the trip to Villa Park. The Burnley manager will be without three first-team players on Sunday.
Zeki Amdouni is a long-term absentee, as he is recovering from a knee injury that will keep him in the treatment room until next year. Connor Roberts is closing in on returning from a layoff, and he should be back after the international break. However, like Amdouni, Jordan Beyer remains unavailable until next year due to a hamstring issue.
Martin Dubravka is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Burnley lining up in a 5-4-1 formation in front of him vs Aston Villa on Sunday. The backline will feature Kyle Walker, Maxime Esteve, Hjalmar Ekdal, Josh Laurent, and Quilindschy Hartman.
As for the midfield unit, Florentino Luis and Josh Cullen will pair up in the central areas in the middle of the park, with Jacob Bruun Larsen and Jaidon Anthony being the two wide attackers. Finally, Lyle Foster will spearhead the Burnley attack against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (5-4-1): Dubravka; Walker, Esteve, Ekdal, Laurent, Hartman; Larsen, Florentino, Cullen, Anthony; Foster
While Ollie Wakins, Jaidon Anthony, and Lyle Foster were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Morgan Rogers as the Player to Watch for Sunday’s Premier League clash between Aston Villa and Burnley at Villa Park.
The English international has the most open play assists in the Premier League in 2025 (8). Only three Aston Villa players have more in a calendar year: James Milner in 2009 (12), Ashley Young in 2010 (9), and Ollie Watkins in 2023 (10). After receiving criticism for his performances in the first few weeks of the 2025/26 season, Rogers has started turning things around, and he will hope to continue building momentum in the coming weeks.
Aston Villa struggled to back up a positive performance in Europe with a momentum-building display in the Premier League last season. However, that was not the case last weekend, even though Fulham deserved more from the game. The Villa Park faithful will hope the trend continues as the Villans host Burnley on Sunday.
Burnley will give the hosts a run for their money, and the home side cannot take the Clarets lightly. However, while Jaidon Anthony will continue his excellent run, Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins will earn three points for their team. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Unai Emery and his charges.
