Aston Villa V Middlesborough

I almost missed this game so this preview may be a little short. Two teams here in very contrasting form at the moment. Villa's last match was at the emirates where they went so close to beating Arsenal. They played some great stuff and even though im a gunner they probably deserved the 3 points. On a completely different note, Middlesborough didnt even turn up against Cardiff in the FA Cup semi on Sunday. They were outplayed and never got into the game. An area of weakness that cropped up very visably was their poor defence of set pieces and this is an area where i feel that the likes of Mellberg could well expose tonight.

Villa are pretty solid at home where they are undefeated since early December. Recent results include a 4 - 1 thumping of Newcastle and wins over Spurs and Reading.

Boro put up a good fight at Anfield a few weeks back before eventually losing out to a Torres hatrick. Relegation is still an issue for them and in the near future they have Derby at home which is a vital game. They have a tough run coming up against Arsenal , Chelsea , Tottenham and Man Utd and this may sound strange but they seem to play their best against these strong teams often frustrating them with their defensive style.

Its games such as tonight where Boro seem to lack the motivation for some reason and this is why they wont win at Villa Park. Villa are also much fresher as they have not had a game in just over 10 days. A european spot is very much the prize that Aston Villa are looking at and they should have the motivation and ability to take 3 easy points against Boro.

Pick : Home win
Odds : 1.62
Stake : 8 / 10
Bookmaker : Paddy Power
Match Result : 1-1
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