The St. Marys' Stadium is the stage for this week's opening game on Friday evening as Southampton and Aston Villa go head-to-head in the Premier League. Read on for our expert tips and predictions.

Aston Villa did pick up a 1-0 victory against the Saints in their most recent league encounter. This would be their first win in this fixture since 2013- a run that has spanned across 10 matches. Even at that, the Villains still have a slight edge over their opponents with a 29-28 lead on the head-to-head record.

Villains keen on halting losing streak

Southampton picked up their first Premier League victory at the seventh time of asking with a 1-0 triumph against Leeds United early this month. They followed up that win with a 2-2 draw against Burnley and although we saw them lose to Chelsea at the League Cup last week, this blemish didn't affect them in their most recent league game as they managed to record their second league win of the season. A first-half strike from Che Adams was more than enough for all three points against Watford, putting the Saints in 14th position ahead of Friday's game.

Aston Villa's new signings still haven't hit the ground running as Dean Smith's troops find themselves in 15th place, having amassed just 10 points so far. We saw them beat Man United and Everton towards the end of September, however, October wasn't as kind to the West Midlands outfit as we saw them lose all four games in which they played. In their most recent game, they were hammered by West ham 4-1- stretching their losing streak in the league to four matches. Would we see them bounce back this Friday ?

Southampton vs Aston Villa Team News

Southampton possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Livramento, Bednarek, Salisu, Walker-Peters; Elyounoussi, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Redmond; Adams, A Armstrong

Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Cash, Hause, Mings, Targett; Nakamba, McGinn; Traore, Buendia, Bailey; Watkins

Southampton vs Aston Villa Prediction: 1-1

Dean Smith's troops find themselves in quite the ruin with the team failing to deliver even whilst boasting talented players at the top end of the field. The Saints would fancy their chances heading into this game given their recent form, however, we think the visitors leave the St. Mary's Stadium with at least a point.