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Aston Villa shared eight goals in a 4-4 draw at Manchester United on Sunday 8 November, the fourth match in a row without a win in any competition. Away from the pitch, Sky Sports reports that Ian Maatsen has signed a new contract. Villa are 10th on 13 points. Their last victory was the 2-1 home win over Manchester City on 24 October, and since then they have lost 3-0 at Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup, drawn 1-1 with Fulham and lost 3-0 at Barcelona in the Champions League. The run can end at Villa Park on Saturday 21 November at 10:00 am ET, when Sunderland visit after the international break. Villa have conceded 17 league goals this season, so a steadier afternoon at the back would be as welcome as another thriller.
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Aston Villa have relied on one reliable scorer all season, and a 3-0 defeat at Barcelona on Tuesday showed what happens when that supply dries up. The Champions League loss followed a 1-1 home draw with Fulham on Saturday, when goalkeeper Zion Suzuki dropped an Alex Iwobi corner over his own line to deny Villa a fifth win in six, The Guardian reported. Villa sit tenth in the Premier League on 12 points from nine matches. Off the pitch, Sky Sports reported that the club are holding positive discussions over an extension to the manager's contract. The next fixture is a trip to Old Trafford on Sunday to face Manchester United, who are 17th on seven points. That match will show whether Villa's attack can find a goal beyond Nicolas Jackson.
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Fulham have conceded ten goals in eight Premier League matches this season — a rate that invites sustained pressure from a Villa side whose own attacking runners have shown they can hurt teams at home.
Aston Villa win Saturday's Premier League fixture against Fulham at Villa Park.
The constraint shaping Saturday is not form but bodies: per Sports Mole, Ruggeri, Wan-Bissaka and Onana are all carrying concerns heading into the Fulham clash, which means the selection choices around that left side and central midfield carry real consequence regardless of the XI that takes the pitch. Against a Fulham side sitting fifteenth with eight points from eight games and a goal difference of minus two, the gaps in Villa's depth matter less than they might against higher opposition — and Ross Barkley's six combined goal contributions this season suggest there is enough creative fuel centrally to compensate. Johan Manzambi, who per Birmingham Live has drawn comparisons to a £100m player after three goals in seven appearances, gives Villa an unpredictable runner capable of exploiting a defence that has already shipped ten.
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