Aston Villa travel to Southampton on Saturday knowing that a third successive victory would see them retain their Premier League status for another year.
Safety is within touching distance for the Villans, but they will want to wrap it up this weekend and give manager Tim Sherwood a full two weeks in which to prepare for Arsenal in the FA Cup final.
Southampton
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It's been a trying end to the season for Ronald Koeman's side. They fluffed a chance of moving ahead of Tottenham Hotspur into the Europa League places after losing 2-0 to Leicester City last week with an uncharacteristically limp performance.
While entry into Europe's secondary competition may provide scant consolation in a season that for so long promised Champions League qualification, European football next term would still represent tremendous progress in Koeman's first year in charge.
By virtue of the fact that they have won just one of their last six, losing four, it could be argued that the Saints do not really want the Europa League.
The baby has been thrown out with the bathwater down at St Mary's, with the defeat at Leicester following a 2-1 win reverse at Sunderland the previous week, having drawn 2-2 with rivals Spurs before that.
Bizarrely, a Europa League spot is still up for grabs despite their end-of-season woes, with one point separating them and their North London rivals ahead of the final two games.
However, the road to salvation starts with Villa on Saturday and nothing but a win will do if they are serious about securing a European odyssey next season.
Recent form: LWLDLL
Aston Villa
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Arguing that Sherwood has done a good job in his brief spell as Aston Villa boss would be an understatement. With an FA Cup final on the horizon, and Premier League safety in sight, the 47-year-old has restored something of a feel-good factor at Villa Park.
The former Tottenham manager has helped breathe a sense of purpose into a side who seemed to be gradually declining week on week under Paul Lambert, who was sacked in February.
The Villans sat 18th in the standings when the Scot was dismissed from his duties. Fast forward three months and Sherwood has them 14th, four points clear of danger and enjoying their football after an overall testing year.
He need only glance his side's odds of being relegated to grasp the impact that he has made so far. At 80/1, Villa are virtually safe - but victory on Saturday would end any lingering concerns that fans may have over dropping down into the Championship.
Nobody has benefited more from Sherwood's arrival than Christian Benteke, who has netted 11 times in his previous 10, having scored just three times in all competitions under Lambert.
Should the duo weave their magic once again this weekend, the Villa boss could spend the next 14 days preparing for the showpiece with Arsenal at Wembley on May 30 and, the way things have been going, it is difficult to rule out his chances of enhancing his 'messiah' reputation.
Recent form: LDWLWW
Recent form (all competitions): DWWLWW
Team News
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Koeman told reporters that Jay Rodriguez, who recently inked a new deal on the South Coast, was nearing a return to fitness but Saturday comes too soon.
The Dutchman has no fresh injury concerns and will welcome James Ward-Prowse back into the fold, with the youngster missing out last week through suspension.
Goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga could drop out for Kelvin Davis after the Argentine produced a nervy display at the King Power last week.
Davis would make his 300th Southampton appearance should he play.
Meanwhile, Sherwood confirmed that Nathan Baker is back in training but the defender is unlikely to make the trip to St Mary's.
Baker, who has been suffering with a knee injury in recent weeks, joins Chris Herd and Ciaran Clark on the sidelines.
Callum Robinson and Gary Gardner could come into the matchday squad after training with the first team.
Southampton's possible starting lineup:
Davis; Bertrand, Fonte, Alderweireld, Clyne; Wanyama, Davis, Ward-Prowse; Mane, Long, Pelle
Aston Villa's possible starting lineup:
Given; Bacuna, Vlaar, Okore, Richardson; Westwood, Cleverley, Delph, Grealish, N'Zogbia; Benteke
Head To Head
Saturday's hosts have won just nine of the last 38 meetings - two of those came when the Saints did the double over their West Midlands counterparts in the 2012-13 campaign. Aston Villa have lost one of their last six visits to the Saints, winning three of those.
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Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:
We say: Southampton 1-1 Aston Villa
With survival in sight, we reckon that the Villans' fanbase will breathe a collective sigh of relief this Saturday by earning another valuable point in their relegation fight.
Shane Callaghan
