Aston Villa v Bradford League Cup Prediction 22nd January 2013

Aston Villa v Bradford Betting Preview
Does the Premier League side have a sting left in its tail? Paul Lambert’s men were embarrassed in a 3-1 defeat at Valley Parade in the first leg and have left themselves with an uphill task to try and make it through to Wembley. With both wins and goals deserting them at the moment, will it be a famous night for the visiting Bantams? Bradford took a rest on the weekend as their league game was called off because of the weather, so they will be fresh and ready for what could be a long defensive night of action.

Aston Villa v Bradford Betting Odds at online bookmaker Ladbrokes
Aston Villa 2/5, Draw 18/5, Bradford 13/2

Aston Villa v Bradford Recommended Bet:
How important will Villa’s away goal prove to be at the end of the day? It is no secret that Aston Villa aren’t in great form. They are just one point above the drop zone, a point earned in a 2-2 draw away at West Brom on the weekend. Despite taking a two goal lead in the match, the Villains couldn’t hang on, and that will have been another huge dent to their confidence. There were massive defensive problems in the first leg for Villa, as they couldn’t deal with long high balls into the heart of their defence. That is a weakness which the Bantams will probably be targetting from dead ball situations. Up until their trip to Valley Parade, Villa had been good in the League Cup, with notable wins away at Man City and at Carrow Road against Norwich. It has been a tournament where they have played without pressure on their shoulders. Now they have to go out and have a real go at the his one, but home goals have been few and far between this term.

Aston Villa have scored just eight goals at home in the Premier League season, which is pretty poor. Paul Lambert’s men now have just one home win in their last five home matches in all competitions (W1 D1 L3) so they haven’t found a lot of comfort on home soil. But there were positives from the first leg for them. They fired in 11 shots on target in the first leg, getting the better of possession. That is more on target than they have managed in any other game this season (in all competitions). The negative is that they could only manage one goal. That defeat was the first time they have ever lost in the League Cup to a side from the fourth tier and sums up their season. But they have a chance to get to Wembley for the eighth time in the competition. They have never been knocked out at this stage of the competition by lower tiered opposition, so that’s a positive. They need to win by a couple of clear goals. They will likely dominate the game, the only question mark is whether or not they have enough goals in them to quality. That away goal they scored could be the big key.

The Bantams will be grateful for the rest enforced upon them because of bad weather on the weekend no doubt. The League Two side haven’t been in great form of late, losing their last two in a row and going without a win in their last four league matches. So the rest will have been welcome as they know they will probably be in for a very long defensive night. The thing is, the Bantams have been pretty good defensively this season, conceding at a rate of just around 1.2 goals per game all season. That may be sufficient against the low scoring Aston Villa. Bradford scored three goals from eight shots in the first leg and may need to take full advantage of dead ball situations. They have already knocked out two Premier League sides on the run to the semi’s, beating both Wigan and Arsenal in penalty shoot outs after some great defensive displays. Their away form isn’t great without a win in their last five away games in all competitions now. If this goes to a shootout, then Villa beware. Bradford have won their last nine penalty shoot outs in a row. Aston Villa to win by a 2 Goal margin is trading at 10/3 with online bookmaker Ladbrokes.

Form
Villa LDWLLD, Bradford LDLWLL

Stat Attack
Villa are without a clean sheet in their last ten matches
Aston Villa have just one win in their last five home matches in all competitions
Bradford are without a win in their last five away games in all competitions
Villa have never lost at this stage to lower league opposition
Bradford have won their last nine penalty shoot outs

Online bookmaker Promotion
Get some great coverage on your Aston Villa v Bradford First Goalscorer betting at online bookmaker Ladbrokes. If Bradford score first on the night, then the bookie will refund all losing First Goalscorer bets placed on the game. In the profitable market, Villa’s Christian Benteke and Darren Bent are trading a 3/1 favourites to open the scoring. New customers registering an account with Ladbrokes can get up to a free £50 bet as a welcome bonus too.