Gameweek 25 of the 2025/26 Premier League season will continue on Saturday, which will be an action-packed day. The action on Saturday will begin with the game between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford before continuing with five simultaneous matches, including Bournemouth vs Aston Villa at the Vitality Stadium.
Bournemouth’s horrendous 11-game winless run finally ended last month with a last-gasp 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur. Once promising a top-four finish, the Cherries tumbled through the Premier League table to get eerily close to the relegation zone. However, the victory over Spurs may have triggered a resurgence, with Andoni Iraola’s men embarking on a four-match unbeaten streak to rise to 12th in the standings.
On the other hand, Aston Villa’s surprise Premier League title charge has received a setback in recent weeks, as they have suffered two defeats in their last three outings. While the Villans are only seven points behind Arsenal, their output has not been consistent with those of Premier League winners over the years. Nevertheless, Unai Emery will be eager to see his charges push for the title as much as they can.
The reverse fixture ended in a 4-0 win for Aston Villa, with Emiliano Buendia, Amadou Onana, Ross Barkley, and Donyell Malen finding the back of the net. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Andoni Iraola has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Bournemouth manager will be bereft of the services of as many as seven first-team players vs Aston Villa on Saturday.
Julio Soler (unspecified), Tyler Adams (knee), Marcus Tavernier (hamstring), Justin Kluivert (both knee), Ben Gannon Doak (thigh), and Will Dennis (ankle) remain in the treatment room. Meanwhile, Saturday’s game may come too soon for David Brooks (ankle), even though he has stepped up his recovery in his recent weeks.
Djordje Petrovic is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Bournemouth lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Aston Villa on Saturday. The backline will feature Adam Smith, James Hill, Marcos Senesi, and Adrien Truffert.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Alex Scott and Lewis Cook in the double pivot. Eli Junior Kroup will reprise the no. 10 role, with Alex Jimenez and Amine Adli being the two wide attackers. Finally, Evanilson will lead the line for Bournemouth against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Smith, Hill, Senesi, Truffert; Cook, Scott; Jimenez, Kroupi, Adli; Evanilson
Like his counterpart in the Bournemouth dugout, Unai Emery has no new issues to worry about ahead of the trip to the Vitality Stadium. The Aston Villa manager may be without half a dozen first-team players on Saturday.
Emery is sweating over Ollie Watkins’s fitness, as the English international is recovering from a hamstring injury. The experienced striker will aim to return to the matchday squad this weekend. Meanwhile, Boubacar Kamara (knee), Youri Tielemans (ankle), John McGinn (knee), Andres Garcia (thigh), and Alysson (knee) remain in the treatment room.
Emiliano Martinez will retain his spot between the sticks, with Aston Villa lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Bournemouth on Saturday. The backline will feature Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, and Ian Maatsen.
As for the midfield unit, Amadou Onana should return to the starting eleven and line up alongside Douglas Luiz in the double pivot. Morgan Rogers will reprise the no. 10 role, with Jadon Sancho and Emiliano Buendia being the two wide attackers. Finally, Tammy Abraham will spearhead the Aston Villa attack against Bournemouth on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Onana, Luiz; Sancho, Rogers, Buendia; Abraham
While Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, and Evanilson were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Eli Junior Kroupi as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League clash between Bournemouth and Aston Villa at the Vitality Stadium.
The French attacking prospect has the best shot conversion rate of any player to have ten shots in the Premier League this term (38.1%). Additionally, he also the best minutes-per-goal ratio of anyone to score more than once this season (one every 98 minutes). With Kroupi improving with each outing in the ongoing campaign, he will be the go-to player for Andoni Iraola this weekend.
Aston Villa will know they can not drop more points if they want to remain in the Premier League title race. However, the Villans have not looked par for the course as a top-four side, let alone challengers to the throne, in their recent outings, and Bournemouth may exploit their weaknesses this weekend.
The hosts will continue their recent upturn in fortunes, with Evanilson and Eli Junior Kroup delivering the goods. Meanwhile, Aston Villa will continue to falter and drop more points this weekend. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for Andoni Iraola and his charges.
