Aston Villa vs Burnley: How to watch, live stream, TV, team news, start time, odds, prediction

By Andy EdwardsDec 17, 2021, 1:13 PM EST

Aston Villa vs Burnley: Steven Gerrard will try to keep the good times rolling and beat yet another side below Villa in the Premier League table when the Clarets visit Villa Park on Saturday (Watch live at 10 am ET, on NBCSN and online via NBCSports.com).

ASTON VILLA vs BURNLEY STREAM LIVE

Through six games under Gerrard, Aston Villa have beaten everyone you might reasonably expect them to beat (Brighton & Hove Albion, Crystal Palace, Leicester City and Norwich City) while losing to the sides you wouldn’t fancy them to beat (Manchester City and Liverpool). In short, Aston Villa are right where they should be — if not ahead of schedule — under the new manager. Having conceded just five goals in six games, compared to 20 in 11 before Gerrard arrived, the genesis of the sharp turnaround is crystal clear.

As for Burnley, Sean Dyche and Co., are headed for another lengthy relegation battle, and they’re bringing one of the Premier League’s worst attacking records to the table. With just 14 goals scored in 15 games, only three sides have fewer to their name this season. It’s a familiar story for Burnley, who are still in the Premier League on the strength of defending over the years, and they’re once again in the top half of fewest goals conceded.

[ MORE: How to watch PL in the USA ]

Here is everything you need to know ahead of Aston Villa vs Burnley this Saturday with team news, odds, stream link and more.

The Premier League “Festive Fixtures” take place from Saturday, Dec. 18 until Monday, Jan. 3, and you can watch all 40 matches in 17 days across our platforms right here.

Aston Villa team news, injuries, lineup (INJURY REPORT)

QUESTIONABLE: Emiliano Buendia (ankle), Anwar El Ghazi (COVID-19), Morgan Sanson (COVID-19), Jed Steer (COVID-19) | OUT: Bertrand Traore (thigh), Leon Bailey (thigh), Marvelous Nakamba (knee)

Burnley team news, injuries, lineup

QUESTIONABLE: Maxwel Cornet (thigh), Dale Stephens (ankle) | OUT: Ashley Barnes (thigh), Connor Roberts (illness)

Odds and ends (full odds provided by our partner, PointsBet)

Aston Villa (-143) | Burnley (+380) | Draw (+275)

PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links

Prediction

Oftentimes, it’s a lack of patience that undoes sides against Burnley, but Aston Villa have proven more than plenty patient as Gerrard fine-tunes the defense and slowly affords more freedom to the attacking stars. Aston Villa 2-0 Burnley.

How to watch Aston Villa vs Burnley, stream live and start time

Kickoff: 10 am ET Saturday
TV: NBCSN
Online: Stream via NBCSports.com

Follow @AndyEdMLS

Reports: Tottenham Hotspur to hire Celtic’s Ange Postecoglou as next manager

By Nicholas MendolaJun 5, 2023, 3:30 PM EDT

Multiple reports say that Ange Postecoglou will be leaving Celtic to become the next manager of Tottenham Hotspur.

Celtic had reportedly granted permission for Spurs to speak with their trophy-collecting boss, and things apparently progressed quickly as the 57-year-old looks set to oversee the club’s big rebuild.

[ MORE: Recalling Zlatan’s “unicorn” career ]

Spurs suffered through an inconsistent 2022-23 season with Antonio Conte at the helm, followed by Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason in interim stints.

Tottenham will not have European football this season and is at risk of losing legendary center forward Harry Kane. The club has eight players including Kane going into the final year of their contracts, including Ivan Perisic, Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier, and Hugo Lloris.

Spurs finished eighth last season, 15 points off the top four despite spending much of the season inside of it. The club’s finished fourth just once in the past four seasons despite qualifying for the Champions League the previous four seasons.

Ironically, Celtic is being linked with pursuit of Brendan Rodgers and Jesse Marsch if Postecoglou departs this week.

Who is Ange Postecoglou?

Postecoglou, 57, was born in Greece and moved to Australia at a young age, starring for South Melbourne as a player and earning for caps for the Socceroos.

He is coming off a domestic treble with Celtic and won five of six trophies available to him in his two seasons with the Bhoys.

At Celtic, Postecoglou played with a 4-3-3 for much of the first half of his tenure but played a lot of this campaign in a 4-2-3-1.

Postecoglou won trophies as a manager with South Melbourne, Brisbane Roar, and Yokohama F. Marinos, claiming the Asian Cup during his stint as Australia national team coach.

He said he expects tricky early times wherever he goes.

“Wherever I’ve been, the initial part is always rocky, because my ideas are… well they’re not extreme to me but I can see how they can be seen as extreme from the outside. It takes a while. Usually it can take me six months, it can take me a year to really bed them in, depending on how many opportunities I have to change the playing squad and the staff and all those kinds of things.”

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Five players to watch in the Premier League’s summer transfer window

By Nicholas MendolaJun 5, 2023, 3:21 PM EDT

There’s going to be turnover in the Premier League this offseason, and it seems likely the big boys will again be looking to the top young talents in other leagues to get in when the getting is good.

There will be big price tags attached to some players this summer, but in the case of the players below we may be talking about players just a window away from having unattainably high price tags for most clubs.

Most of these names have danced through ProSoccerTalk‘s transfer rumor mill at least once during the past season or two, and in one case have been on the radar for a half-decade or so.

Here’s a look at five players who may well find their way to the Premier League in the very near future, and could move somewhere this summer.

Xavi Simons, PSV Eindhoven

At times the teen hype around Xavi Simons coming out of Barcelona’s academy was akin to the recruitment of Martin Odegaard out of Norway so many years ago. But Simons couldn’t break through at Barca and his move to Paris Saint-Germain didn’t take off as expected. So Simons, who just turned 20 in April, landed at PSV Eindhoven. All he did was lead the Eredivisie in goals. PSG has a buyback clause but Simons would have to want to go there… and there are plenty of rumored suitors for the playmaker. Simons chipped in eight assists and was Fotmob’s highest-rated Eredivisie player.

Possible fits: Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool

Jurrien Timber, Ajax

Still 21 for a couple more weeks, Timber got Mancunian tongues wagging when he attended the FA Cup Final between Manchester United and Manchester City. The star center back played under United boss Erik ten Hag at Ajax and now has 15 caps for the Netherlands senior team. He has a ridiculous passing and ball progression profile for his position, and has showed enough attacking acumen to get any team excited about him.

Possible fits: Manchester United, Manchester City

Randal Kolo Muani, Eintracht Frankfurt

The 24-year-old has acknowledged dreams of playing in the Premier League following a blockbuster first season at Eintracht, where he scored 23 goals with 17 assists amongst all competitions. Moving to a new country did not slow him at all after his time at Nantes, and he was linked with a number of PL sides even before he admitted his interest in the league.

Possible fits: Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United

Sepe Elye Wahi, Montpellier

The 20-year-old nearly scored as many goals as his age in his third season with Montpellier’s first team, and has attracted interest from Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, and Chelsea amongst others. Wahi is still very raw when it comes to passing the ball but part of his statistical deficiencies could have to do with his club’s relative struggles. A eager presser, his best traits are finishing and that’s the stat that drives the bus for him.

Possible fits: Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal

Gabriel Veiga, Celta Vigo

Here’s another playmaker linked with Arsenal, but you can see why he could fit in Mikel Arteta’s system. His 11 goals were 13th in La Liga this season and his four assists means he had a goal contribution on 15 of Celta’s 43 league goals. An eager dribbler, he delivered 80 shot creating actions this season and ranked in the 99th percentile for midfielders when it came to non-penalty goals.

Possible fits: Newcastle, Arsenal, Man CIty

Follow @NicholasMendola

How many times has a team won the treble? Man City goes for history

By Nicholas MendolaJun 5, 2023, 3:12 PM EDT

There’s been a lot of treble talk these days, talk that’s found a new level of buzz since Manchester City moved within one win of joining the club.

It’s an elite club, by the way, of teams that have won their domestic league, top domestic cup, and the European Cup.

Nine times in history has a team won the treble, and only once has it been done by a Premier League club.

[ MORE: Recalling Zlatan’s “unicorn” career ]

That’s why Man City’s defeat of Manchester United earlier this month in the FA Cup Final rings so true for the Citizens; The blue side of Manchester would join the red side as treble supporters, as United won the treble in 1998-99.

Man City goes for the third jewel of its treble crown on Saturday versus Inter Milan in Istanbul when it kicks off the UEFA Champions League Final.

For more treble trivia, head below the jump.

How many times has the treble been won?

Bayern Munich and Barcelona have each done it twice, with Bayern doing it in 2012-13 and 2019-20 and Barca pulling it off in 2008-09 and 2014-15.

Celtic was the first to win a treble, doing it in 1966-67, while Ajax was the next in 1971-72.

PSV Eindhoven then won it in 1987-88 before Man United made it happen 11 years later. Inter Milan is the only Italian team to pull it off, winning in 2009-10.

(UEFA.com)

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Manchester City vs Inter Milan: How to watch Champions League Final, odds, predictions

By Nicholas MendolaJun 5, 2023, 3:00 PM EDT

Manchester City is on the chase for a historic treble and standing in the way is Inter Milan, one of Europe’s precious few clubs to claim such an honor.

[ LIVE: Manchester City vs Inter Milan ]

The Premier League winners three times running have an FA Cup under their belt after beating Manchester United on June 3 and the final jewel in their treble crown awaits with a win in Istanbul on June 10.

[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]

Pep Guardiola could lead a second club to a treble after he did it with Barcelona in 2008-09, and they would give heated rivals United domestic company on the treble stage right down the road.

Guardiola says it’s now okay to talk about the treble. We agree, and we’ve laid out why the achievement is so special after the jump.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Manchester City vs Inter Milan.

How to watch Manchester City vs Inter Milan live, stream link and start time

Dates: 3pm ET June 10, 2023
Online: Live updates via NBCSports.com
How to watch: TUDN, Paramount+

What Premier League clubs have won the treble?

Manchester United won the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League in 1998-99.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils are the lone Premier League club to win it.

That’s it. For now.

How many times has the treble been won?

Nine times in history has a team won its domestic league, top domestic cup, and the European Cup.

Bayern Munich and Barcelona have each done it twice, with Bayern doing it in 2012-13 and 2019-20 and Barca pulling it off in 2008-09 and 2014-15.

Celtic was the first to win a treble, doing it in 1966-67, while Ajax was the next in 1971-72.

PSV Eindhoven then won it in 1987-88 before Man United made it happen 11 years later. Inter Milan is the only Italian team to pull it off, winning in 2009-10.

(UEFA.com)

Champions League Final odds (Betting odds provided by our partner, BetMGM )

BetMGM is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on BetMGM for the first time after clicking our links.

Man City (-250) vs Inter Milan (+625) | Draw over 120 mins (+380)

Over 2.5 goals (-160). Under 2.5 goals (+110)

Champions League Final predictions

Joe Prince-Wright: Man City 2-1 Inter Milan
Andy Edwards: Man City 3-1 Inter Milan
Nick Mendola: Man City 2-0 Inter Milan

Manchester City team news, injuries, lineup options

QUESTIONABLE: None

Inter Milan team news, injuries, lineup options

QUESTIONABLE: Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Joaquin Correa. OUT: Dalbert.

Follow @NicholasMendola

Aston Villa team news, injuries, lineup (INJURY REPORT)

Burnley team news, injuries, lineup

Odds and ends (full odds provided by our partner, PointsBet)

Prediction

How to watch Aston Villa vs Burnley, stream live and start time

More Premier League news

Premier League news

Who is Ange Postecoglou?

Latest PL news

Xavi Simons, PSV Eindhoven

Jurrien Timber, Ajax

Randal Kolo Muani, Eintracht Frankfurt

Sepe Elye Wahi, Montpellier

Gabriel Veiga, Celta Vigo

Premier League news

How many times has the treble been won?

Premier League news

How to watch Manchester City vs Inter Milan live, stream link and start time

What Premier League clubs have won the treble?

How many times has the treble been won?

Champions League Final odds (Betting odds provided by our partner, BetMGM )

Champions League Final predictions

Manchester City team news, injuries, lineup options

Inter Milan team news, injuries, lineup options