Hello and welcome to Eurosport's LIVE text commentary of the Premier League clash between Aston Villa and Southampton. Dean Smith's side are hoping to get back to winning ways after their 100 per cent perfect record was ended in style by Leeds last weekend. Victory today would send Villa back into second, a point behind reigning champions Liverpool with a game in hand. Meanwhile, the Saints inflicted a first defeat on Everton last time out and Ralph Hasenhuttl's men are hoping to extend their unbeaten run to five matches. Team news will follow, kick-off is one hour away!
Premier League / Matchday 7
Villa Park / 01.11.2020
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/match/football-header-bg-mobile.jpg)
/images.sports.gracenote.com/images/lib/basic/sport/football/club/logo/300/4010.png){kind=logo}
/images.sports.gracenote.com/images/lib/basic/sport/football/club/logo/300/4874.png){kind=logo}
- T. Mings(62')
- O. Watkins(90+3' PEN)
- J. Grealish(90+7')
- J. Vestergaard(20')
- J. Ward-Prowse(33', 45')
- D. Ings(58')
Live
Live Updates
:focal(140x151:142x149)/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2020/04/28/2811917-58003384-310-310.png)
Updated 01/11/2020 at 13:58 GMT
4'
Wait, VAR is having a check... was Adams in an offside position?
3'
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 Southampton (Ezri Konsa OG): That didn't take long! The Saints take the lead with less than three minutes on the clock! Ings drifts wide to force the corner, it's whipped in by Ward-Prowse and there's pinball inside the Villa box as the hosts try to scramble it clear. Vestergaard and Adams get a touch, but it comes off Konsa and ends up in the back of the net!
1st Half
1'
Kick-off! The players take the knee before Southampton get us underway.
11:59
There will be a moment's silence for 1966 World Cup winner Nobby Stiles, who sadly passed away on Friday. Both clubs will also pay their respects to those who lost their lives during conflict for their country ahead of Remembrance Day.
11:55
FIVE minutes until kick-off at Villa Park! It's Aston Villa versus Southampton in the Premier League, it's LIVE and it's NEXT!
11:50
Did you know? Only Liverpool (18) and Manchester City (15) have won more Premier League games in 2020 than Southampton (12, level with Arsenal and Manchester United). There are just TEN minutes until kick-off now!
-
11:45
Pre-match stat: Southampton are looking to win four consecutive league games against Aston Villa for the first time since August 1989.
11:40
Hasenhuttl: "We have now belief in what we are doing. The last four games, really good, especially the last one absolutely. With the ball, against the ball, it was a very good performance. This is now the level we want to take as a fundament. From this we want to build up and not fall back to old behaviours and try to build up from this level where we are now because everything is still not perfect, everything is still not fantastic so new challenges are coming and tough fixtures."
11:35
Smith insists there is "big things to come" from £17m summer signing Traore, who has only played 42 league minutes of action to date. The Villa boss said: "He's worked really hard. He's still working daily to get to the levels we want. He's getting there. He's settled in really well. The pleasing thing I've got amongst the group at the moment is they want to get into that team and they're pushing each other, he's one of them as well and I expect big things to come."
11:30
Pre-match stat: Aston Villa are winless in their last seven Premier League encounters with Southampton (D3 L4), conceding 16 goals against them across the last five meetings (D1 L4).
11:25
Southampton ended Everton's unbeaten run with ease last weekend, and the Saints now have 10 points from a possible 18.
11:20
Villa showed signs of naivety and overconfidence as they were brushed aside by Leeds last weekend. Have they learnt their lesson? Southampton will also pose a considerable threat and, like Marcelo Bielsa's side, come into this game in great form.
11:15
Just one change for Southampton, too. On-loan winger Theo Walcott, who was ineligible to face his parent club Everton, comes in for Nathan Redmond. Saints are still missing Moussa Djenepo, Will Smallbone and Mohammed Salisu through injury.
11:10
Smith rarely likes to make any drastic alterations to his side and it's just the one change from the team that lost 3-0 to Leeds last week, with Bertrand Traore, making his first Premier League start, coming in for Trezeguet.
11:05
Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett, McGinn, Luiz, Grealish, Barkley, Watkins, Traore.. subs: Steer, Hourihane, Trezeguet, Nakamba, Engels, El Mohamady, Davis. /// Southampton XI: McCarthy, Walker-Peters, Vestergaard, Bednarek, Bertrand, Armstrong, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Walcott, Ings, Adams.. subs: Forster, Stephens, Long, Redmond, Djenepo, Diallo, N'Lundulu.