- Team form: Aston Villa have lost just one of their last 10 matches in all competitions, winning seven.
- Home record: Bournemouth are 3-2-1 at home in all competitions.
- Away defence: Villa have conceded just six goals in six away matches in all competitions, unbeaten in that run.
High-tempo EFL Cup clash awaits at Vitality Stadium
Match background
Bournemouth and Aston Villa split the points in a 1-1 draw at this ground in the Premier League 2025/2026 and, although the Cherries are the slight favorites, this could go either way when they meet again at Vitality Stadium. The Villans, who are unbeaten in five in this head-to-head, have been in great form since the new season began, so should not be underestimated by their hosts.
Bournemouth form and style
It's an open game approach that should make for a highly-charged game at Vitality Stadium on Wednesday.
- The Cherries are in good form themselves after back-to-back victories which have followed a heavy 5-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge under Marco Rose.
- A 3-0 home win over SK Sturm Graz in the Europa League was followed by a 2-0 victory at home to Sunderland.
- Marco Rose's side have been a very attractive team to watch in the early stages of the campaign as they have pressed opponents high up the field and looked to break quickly when they win the ball back.
Villans can edge it with a goal fest on the cards
Unai Emery's Villa are an equally well-structured side who also operate from a 4-2-3-1 formation, although they tend to be more adaptable and can lock into a compact block when required. The Villans are the form side here with three wins in a row and they absolutely smashed Fenerbahce 6-0 at home in the previous round, while they also beat Newcastle 1-0 at St James' Park and Viking FK 3-1 at Villa Park.
There are slight odds-on for the hosts at 2.16, but Villa are not far behind at 3.0 and the draw comes in at 3.6. We'll take Villa for a slight exact score wager here because they have had Bournemouth's number of late and have a superb away record in all competitions, with five wins and one draw from six trips in which they've conceded just six times.
Over 2.5 goals at 1.7 looks a good fit for the tempo that both sides will look to impose on this game while both teams to score at 1.6 is also a good play on the action at the other end, where Bournemouth have bagged ten goals in their last five matches in all competitions with Evanilson contributing three of those.
