
In years gone by, a clash between Aston Villa and Bournemouth would have been seen as a relegation six-pointer, but both teams have been some of the Premier League's top over-achievers this campaign and will go to Villa Park on Sunday with plenty to play for.
Villa currently find themselves in the final Champions League spot and come into the game off the back of a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory against Lille, giving Unai Emery's squad a UEFA Conference League semi-final to look forward to.
For the Cherries, an entertaining 2-2 draw with a lacklustre Manchester United means they still have faint hopes of a European spot come the end of the season, but face another tough test this week as they make the trip to the Midlands.
In the reverse fixture earlier in the season, Ollie Watkins grabbed a 90th-minute equaliser in an extremely entertaining 2-2 draw at the Vitality Stadium, and another close affair should be expected this weekend.
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Team News
Aston Villa
Douglas Luiz is serving the second of his two-game ban for accumulating ten yellow cards this season, so will not feature this weekend.
Nicolo Zaniolo was forced off at half-time in Villa's Conference League quarter-final on Thursday, so is a doubt for Sunday's game.
Left-back Alex Moreno sustained a small calf injury ahead of the tie on Thursday and will be out for two or three weeks.
Emiliano Buendia, Tyrone Mings, Boubacar Kamara and Jacob Ramsey are all still out with longer-term injuries.
Bournemouth
Antoine Semenyo is back in training and available to start for the Cherries, after missing last week's clash with Man United with a calf issue.
However, Marcus Tavernier and Luis Sinisterra are both out of Sunday's game, with the latter unlikely to feature again this season.
Tyler Adams and Chris Mepham are also both still on the injury list.
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Likely Lineups
Aston Villa
Martinez; Konsa, Torres, D. Carlos, Digne; McGinn, Tielemans; Bailey, Rogers, Diaby; Watkins
Bournemouth
Neto; Smith, Zabaryni, Kelly, Kerkez; Cook, Christie; Ouattara, Kluivert, Semenyo; Solanke
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Key Players
Aston Villa - Ollie Watkins
With 19 goals and 10 assists already in the Premier League this season, Ollie Watkins is Villa's main man, and the Villans will look to him once again to grab the goals they need to fire them to a spot in the Champions League.
Watkins added to his goal tally last weekend, showing superb pace and composure to add the second in Villa's surprise victory over title challengers Arsenal.
The striker will be looking to find the net once again on Sunday, in a bid to secure himself a spot in Gareth Southgate's England squad for the Euros in Germany this summer.
Bournemouth - Dominic Solanke
What Watkins is to Villa, Dominic Solanke is to the Cherries.
Bournemouth's number nine made it 17 Premier League goals this season last time out against Man United, as he left young defender Willy Kambwala on the floor with silky footwork before firing home emphatically.
Solanke also has aims of a place in the England squad for this summer's tournament but may be slightly too far down the pecking order at this stage.
The centre-forward has not just been pivotal in grabbing goals for Iraola's side this season, but his hold-up play and work off the ball has been excellent, making him a real fan favourite amongst Bournemouth supporters.
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Match Details
Where is the game being played?
Aston Villa welcome Bournemouth to Villa Park.
What time is kick-off?
This game will get underway at 3pm BST on Sunday 21 April.
How can I watch it?
Due to the game originally being scheduled for 3pm on a Saturday, but subsequently being moved due to Aston Villa's Conference League quarter-final, the game is not available to watch in the UK.

