Southampton must be ready for a backlash from ''wounded animal'' Aston Villa when the Premier League strugglers meet at Villa Park on Saturday, manager Nigel Adkins warned.
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Villa, entrenched in a miserable run of form, suffered a shock 3-1 defeat at 4th tier Bradford City in their Capital One Cup semifinal, 1st leg meeting on Tuesday.
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'' They'll be a wounded animal after that defeat against Bradford in a game they'd have been expected to win '' Adkins told Southampton's website.
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The teams are seperated by one place and one point - with Villa 16th and Southampton 17th, just above the drop zone.
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Both are in dire need of a victory with Saints having drawn three and lost one in their last four league games, while Villa have lost 3 and drawn one of their last four - and conceeded 17 golas in the process.
Villa have been so poor this season i must say. They have not been impressive at all
Aston Villa needs more experienced players -- in my opinion