Blackpool find themselves in a real mess after five straight Premier League defeats, meaning this is clearly a must-win game for the Tangerines. Aston Villa were twice in front against Fulham but failed to win the game, although the Villans will fancy their chances in this clash.

Blackpool in big problems

One of the reasons why Blackpool were so impressive in the first part of the season was that Ian Holloway somehow made the players believe they were good enough for the Premiership and they thus played with a lot of confidence, which produced remarkable results. However, the latest five-match losing run will put the Tangerines to a real test as the players are completely out of confidence but are under big pressure to finally return to winning ways. There are a lot of Premiership teams Blackpool would rather meet in this difficult moment, but the reality is that they will have to give their best against high-flying Aston Villa and hope that will be enough for a good result. Blackpool have real problems to hold onto the lead, as witnessed by the defeats to Manchester United and Everton, so even if they score the first goal against Villa nobody can guarantee us that they will get something from the game.

Ian Holloway faces a real selection headache as all back-up keeper Paul Rachubka and Matt Gilks are out with injuries, meaning Richard Kingson will have to stay between the sticks despite nursing injuries of his own. Stephen Crainey remains sidelined, while Sergei Kornilenko and Salaheddine Sbai are yet to be handed their debuts.

Villa on the rise

Aston Villa endured some really tough times in the first part of the season, but Gerard Houllier, backed by the club owners, has managed to turn things around and Villa again resemble the team that were a real threat for the Big 4 during the last few years. The arrival of Darren Bent and Jean II Makoun, as well as the return to form of Ashley Young, has helped Villa return to the right track and they are now expected to continue climbing the Premiership standings. Villa were unlucky not to beat Fulham last weekend, having twice had the lead, but the most important thing is that they kept the rich vein of form, which now makes them favourites against struggling Blackpool. Having recently shown massive improvement on the travels, I really believe Villa stand a good chance of picking all three points from Bloomfield Road.

Fabian Delph and Luke Young remain sidelined, while Nathan Baker is still banned. Gerard Houllier is likely to field the same side that shared spoils with Fulham.

Verdict

Darren Bent and Ashley Young will be full of confidence after scoring for England against Denmark and there is no doubt they will prove a handful for Blackpool’s leaky defence. The Tangerines are completely out of confidence after losing five straight league games and it looks as though the trend is likely to continue.

Our prediction: Aston Villa to win with -0.25 Asian handicap

Odds: 1.91 (10/11)

Bookmaker: 188BET