Saturday’s evening fixture from the Championship see’s Aston Villa taking on Hull City, with Steve Bruce looking to get one over on his old club on the opening weekend of the season. Both teams have participated in the Premier League recently, with Hull having only been relegated to the Championship at the end of last season.
Since then, former Russia coach Leonid Slutsky has taken over at the KCOM Stadium, making this weekend’s fixture all the more intriguing. Many are tipping the duo to be among the frontrunners for the title come the end of the upcoming season, meaning that there is currently little separating the two teams in the betting odds with the bookies. In order to help you on your way, let’s take a closer look at the two teams, as well as our top betting tip for the match.
Aston Villa
Villa have had an interesting summer to say the least, with Steve Bruce’s men potentially behind on their preparations due to two cancelled pre-season friendlies. However, the Midlands side have added enormous quality to their playing squad over recent weeks, with former Chelsea and England captain John Terry undoubtedly the biggest name. Elsewhere, the likes of Glenn Whelan, Christopher Samba and Ahmed Elmohamady have been brought in to add substantial experience to the squad. Bruce has recently been hit by a serious looking injury to young star, Jack Grealish, with the England Under-21 man certainly missing out on Saturday evening.
Hull City
Slutsky took over from Marco Silva over the summer, with the Russian under pressure to deliver immediately. A recent draw with Europa League finalists Ajax demonstrates that things are potentially moving in the right direction, with the likes of Frazier Campbell, Kevin Stewart and Michael Hector having signed for the Tigers during pre-season. Meanwhile, former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Ryan Mason could well make his long-awaited return from a serious head injury at Villa Park.
Top Betting Tip
Despite little separating the duo in the betting odds with the bookmakers, our top betting tip for this one is to bet on a home victory. Villa have put together an impressive playing squad over the summer, and with the likes of Jonathan Kodjia and Scott Hogan, should score a lot of goals this season. The sheer presence of John Terry in defence means that they will be tough to beat, with odds of 21/20 from SkyBet certainly an attractive proposition for many punters.