BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson believes Aston Villa will beat Burnley this weekend.
Pundit Mark Lawrenson has written in his weekly BBC prediction column that Aston Villa will beat Burnley 2-0 in the Premier League this weekend.
Even despite last weekend’s 6-1 defeat at the hands of Southampton, Villa guaranteed their Premier League status for next season after Hull’s defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
Manager Tim Sherwood has achieved his goal of keeping Villa in the top flight, whilst next weekend he will take his side to Wembley to take on Arsenal in the FA Cup final.
However, Sherwood’s focus this weekend will firmly be on facing Burnley on Sunday, as both teams bring and end to the season in a game which doesn’t mean a great deal to either side.
Sean Dyche’s Burnley have already been relegated, and whilst they put up a great fight, the Clarets will return to the Championship next season after just one season back in the Premier League.
Both managers will want to end their Premier League campaigns on a high, but Lawrenson has predicted a 2-0 win for Aston Villa, suggesting that Sherwood’s men will bounce back from that thrashing at the hands of Southampton last weekend.
“I don’t see Tim Sherwood’s side heading to the FA Cup final on the back of another defeat, and they also have the incentive that a win could see them climb a couple of places up the table,” said Lawrenson.
“Burnley are already down of course, but I would love them to make a quick return to the top flight. There have been so many positives about their season and it is only their lack of quality that has let them down,” he added.
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