Aston Villa will host Crystal Palace at Villa Park on Sunday, and they will be desperate to pick up their first win of the season.

Aston Villa have recorded a draw and a defeat in the first two matches of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign, and they will be desperate to bounce back strongly vs Crystal Palace this weekend.

The Villans have quality players and a quality manager. The fans will be expecting a strong performance from them. It will be interesting to see if the players can step up and deliver. Aston Villa have a poor record against Crystal Palace, and they will look to put it right here.

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace come into this game on the back of two consecutive draws in their first two Premier League matches. However, they have lost Eberechi Eze this summer, with the Englishman leaving a big void in the offensive unit. It will be interesting to see if they can pick up their first win of the season.

The South London outfit are unbeaten in the last five competitive matches in all competitions, and they will certainly fancy their chances of getting something out of this contest. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Aston Villa

Boubacar Kamara is sidelined with an ankle injury, and he will join Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley in the treatment room. Aston Villa will shape up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation vs Crystal Palace, with Emiliano Martinez in goal.

Matty Cash and Lucas Digne will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things compact defensively and hit Crystal Palace on the break. Ezri Konsa will form the central defensive partnership alongside Pau Torres.

As for the midfield unit, John McGinn will start alongside Lamare Bogarde in the double pivot pivot. They will look to add drive and control to the side from deep. Youri Tielemans will reprise the advanced midfield role, and he will look to add creativity to the squad.

Donyell Malen and Morgan Rogers will start on the flanks. They will look to link up with Ollie Watkins in the final third and open up the Crystal Palace defence, with the latter leading the line for Aston Villa.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; McGinn, Bogarde; Malen, Tielemans, Rogers, Watkins

Crystal Palace

Oliver Glasner will be without Cheick Doucoure and Chadi Riad due to long-term knee injuries. However, the Austrian tactician has a new face to pick from this weekend, with Yeremy Pino arriving from Villarreal. Crystal Palace will shape up in a 3-4-2-1 formation vs Aston Villa, with Dean Henderson in goal.

At the back, Marc Guehi will start alongside Maxence Lacroix and Chris Richards in the central defensive unit. Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell will start as the wing-backs. They will look to help out at both ends of the pitch.

As for the midfield unit, Daichi Kamada will start alongside Adam Wharton in the middle of the park. They will add creativity and control to the side. Ismaila Sarr and Justin Devenny will reprise the attacking midfield roles, and they will look to link up with the striker and drift into the wide areas as well. Jean-Philippe Mateta will lead the line for Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa.

Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Guehi, Lacroix, Richards; Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Sarr, Devenny; Mateta

Key Stats

• Crystal Palace have drawn their last three matches in the Premier League.
• Crystal Palace are unbeaten in five of the last six matches against Aston Villa.
• 24 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams.
• Aston Villa have failed to score in their last two Premier League matches.
• Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last 19 home Premier League matches (W11 D8), the longest current unbeaten run on home soil of any side. The Villans last had a run of 20 or more unbeaten home league games between October 1971 and September 1972 (23), while in the top-flight they last did so between December 1922 and January 1924 (26).

Player to Watch

Ollie Watkins

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Aston Villa will be desperate for a victory here, and Ollie Watkins is the key player to watch out for. The home side will need him to step up and produce a strong performance to pick up their first win of the Premier League campaign. He is an outstanding player who could cause all sorts of problems for Crystal Palace.

The Eagles have a quality defensive unit, and Aston Villa will need Watkins to perform at a high level to grind out a positive result. The English international will look to create opportunities for his teammates and find the back of the net as well.

Prediction

Aston Villa 1-1 Crystal Palace

Both teams will be desperate for a victory here, and this is likely to be a competitive contest. Neither side is defensive in their approach, and this is likely to be an open game with a fair few chances. Both teams are likely to get on the score sheet, but it will be difficult to separate them. They are likely to cancel each other out in a goalscoring draw.