Aston Villa host Fulham at Villa Park on Saturday 31 October 2026 (kick-off 20:00) in Premier League gameweek 9. Villa are ninth, Fulham 15th.
Where the sides stand
Villa have 11 points from eight games and a goal difference of minus three. Fulham have eight points from eight, with a goal difference of minus two. Villa average 1.38 points per game, Fulham exactly 1.
Neither side has scored freely. Villa average 1.13 goals per game and concede 1.5. Fulham average 1 and concede 1.25. Fulham have three clean sheets to Villa's two, while Villa have collected 18 yellow cards to Fulham's 16.
Villa's last five: a 2-1 win over Man City, a 1-0 win at Newcastle, a 2-2 draw with Brentford, a 3-2 win at Tottenham and a 2-1 defeat by Nottingham Forest. That is three wins, one draw and one loss.
Fulham have won two, drawn two and lost one. They beat Coventry City 1-0 away and Hull City 1-0 at home, lost 2-1 at Ipswich Town, drew 1-1 with Man Utd and held Liverpool to a 0-0 draw at Anfield.
What the numbers say
Expected goals data via Fantasy Premier League, which measures the quality of chances created, gives Fulham a slight edge. They average 1.45 xG for and 1.37 against per game. Villa sit at 1.13 for and 1.61 against, so their goals tally matches the chances they have made.
Fulham's Gonzalo has the highest individual figure in either squad: 3.61 xG but only one goal in 668 minutes. He is also Fulham's first-choice penalty taker, according to FPL. Villa's N.Jackson has 1.83 xG and four goals in 547 minutes, while McGinn (1.64 xG) and Buendía (1.55 xG) have one goal each. Buendía is Villa's first-choice penalty taker.
Team news and head-to-head
FPL lists Ruggeri (hamstring), Wan-Bissaka (hamstring) and Onana (knee) as injured for Villa, each with a 0% chance of playing. Matty Cash is one booking from a ban, with four league bookings.
For Fulham, FPL lists Affengruber (unspecified injury) and Smith Rowe (a knock) as doubtful, each with a 75% chance of playing. Ryan Sessegnon is out: FPL has him suspended until 7 November, and on MFF's card count he misses this match after a straight red card, if the ban is the three-match one for serious foul play or violent conduct.
Villa have won five of the last six meetings, with Fulham winning one. That one came most recently, 1-0 at Fulham on 25 April 2026. Before that Villa won 3-1 at home on 28 September 2025, 1-0 at Villa Park on 3 May 2025, 3-1 away on 19 October 2024 and 2-1 away on 17 February 2024. They also won 3-1 at home on 12 November 2023.
MFF prediction
MFF's match model predicts a narrow Aston Villa 1-0 win. It gives Villa a 44% chance of victory, the draw 27% and Fulham 29%.
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