Villa’s City scalp sets up Fulham test after cup stumble
Aston Villa followed their 2–1 win over Manchester City with a 3–0 Carabao Cup defeat at Bournemouth, just days before Fulham’s visit and a Champions League trip to Barcelona. Fulham arrive after two successive league wins of their own but were also eliminated in midweek, while Ryan Sessegnon remains suspended.
Villa Park hosts two sides whose league results have improved, despite midweek cup setbacks. Villa ended Manchester City’s perfect start with Nicolas Jackson’s brace, only to lose 3–0 at Bournemouth four days later. With Barcelona away on Tuesday, Unai Emery has little recovery time between matches, and the short turnaround makes squad management part of the story.
Villa should have the edge at home, though Fulham can score; a three-goal game feels more likely than a tight, low-scoring one.
Villa remain without Matteo Ruggeri, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Amadou Onana. Ian Maatsen returned against City and completed 90 minutes, while Johan Manzambi was also available. Fulham will be without Ryan Sessegnon, whose three-match suspension includes this league fixture; Hugo Larsson and Emile Smith Rowe had shaken off knocks before the Coventry match, but no newer official medical update was available.
Villa sit ninth with 11 points from eight matches, having scored nine goals and conceded 12. Fulham are 15th on eight points, with eight goals scored and ten conceded. Both have won their last two league games: Villa beat Newcastle 1–0 and Manchester City 2–1, while Fulham defeated Hull City and Coventry City 1–0. Their cup exits—Villa’s 3–0 loss at Bournemouth and Fulham’s 1–0 home defeat by Crystal Palace—offer a reminder that those league runs have not translated into consistent results across competitions.
Fulham won the most recent league meeting 1–0 at Craven Cottage on 25 April 2026, with Ryan Sessegnon scoring the only goal. Villa had won the previous meeting at Villa Park 3–1 on 28 September 2025; Fulham’s April victory ended a six-match Premier League losing run against the Villans.
