Aston Villa vs Hull - Statistical Preview

Aston Villa sit in 16^th place in the Barclays Premier League, four points clear of the drop zone with three games to go.  After the 4-1 thrashing they suffered at the hands of Swansea last weekend, Villa are in need of a big performance this weekend if they are to reverse their recent fortune.  A win against Hull could see them climb to 13^th if results go their way.

 A silver lining for Villa fans of last week's defeat to Swansea will be that Gabriel Agbonlahor has broken his goal drought, which stretched from New Years Day.  The English International has scored four goals in 28 appearances in the Premier League this season.  The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that he has made 56 attacking contributions (shots on target, assists, dribbles and crosses) this season, including seven assists.

 Paul Lambert will pay particular attention to his side’s defence this weekend and will look to Ron Vlaar to close down Hull’s attacking threats.  Vlaar has made 323 defensive contributions (tackles won, blocks, clearances and interceptions), including 63 successful tackles out of a possible 73. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that he has only committed nine fouls this season.

 Aston Villa Goalkeeper Brad Guzan will be focusing on keeping a clean sheet this weekend against Hull.  Guzan was beaten four times last weekend and should have done better when Shelvey fired home from the half way mark.  The American has made 99 saves this season and has made 28 clearances.  Villa fans will be hoping that he has a quieter day this weekend against Hull.

 Hull City staged a remarkable comeback against strugglers Fulham last weekend. Hull were 2-0 down with 25 minutes to go but fought back to salvage a point.  Hull, who are currently 13^th in the Premier League with 37 points, will need to show more attacking mentality than they did against Fulham if they are to beat Villa this weekend.  Steve Bruce will be hoping his side can string a couple of wins together before they face Arsenal in the FA Cup final.

 Jelavic opened the scoring for Hull against Fulham last weekend, pulling his side back into the fixture with 25 minutes left on the clock.  Jelavic has five goals to his name so far this season and had one shot on target last weekend against Fulham.

 Shane Long has scored seven goals this season making him Hull City’s top scorer.  The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that he has had 23 shots on target from a possible 48; that’s an accuracy rating of 48%.  Hull fans will be hoping that he doesn’t leave it until the 87^th minute to get his name on the score sheet this weekend against Villa.

Hull lacked urgency in attack last weekend against Fulham, leaving it until the last third of the game to test their defence.  Steve Bruce will turn to Ahmed Elmohamady to provide the creative spark to ignite Hull’s attacking movements this weekend.  The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that Elmohamady has made 99 attacking contributions (shots on target, assists, crosses and dribbles) this season.