A side who managed to avoid relegation last season, Aston Villa will be hoping to recover and do better this season. Villa were one of three teams who finished the campaign on 41 points, which is only five points above Wigan, who finished 18th and were relegated. Last season, Paul Lambert's side managed to lose the majority of their games, coming second best in 17 of their matches.
However, since the end of the season, things have started to look up for The Villains. They managed to retain the services of star player Christian Benteke, who had put in a transfer request and was being linked to Tottenham Hotspur. They have also brought in some new players - Luna, Okore and Tonev to name a few.
The start of the current season has really been more of the same for the Midlands team, they are currently 9th in the table with one win and two losses. Their opening day win against Arsenal at The Emirates came as a shock to many, with Benteke taking centre stage as usual. Since then Aston Villa have suffered narrow defeats at the hands of Chelsea (2-1) and Liverpool (0-1), this should be considered as a good start for what is, in reality, a mid-table team.
With Aston Villa's next six fixtures - Newcastle, Norwich, Man City, Hull, Tottenham and Everton - looking like a mixed bag of challenges, Paul Lambert will be quietly confident that his side can take a few scalps. As long as Benteke is in top form (as he usually is), the likes of Hull, Norwich and Newcastle should not provide much difficulty for Villa.
For me, Aston Villa are a typical mid-table side. They have a star player, as most teams do, backed up by some quality from other areas of the pitch (Agbonlahor, Ireland). I think that Villa will return to form this season and finish in a decent position, probably in the top ten but if not, just outside that area.
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