Up and atom! Up and at them! Aston Villa v Fulham preview and team news

Villa need to cast off the shackles of a bad start in the Premier League and start to find their game again

The minor milestones are slowly being passed after a dreadful first month of the 2025/26 season.

Aston Villa had to wait until the middle of September to score their first goal. Their first Premier League goal followed in the next match. Their first win came in the match after that.

Slowly but surely, Villa are making ground. The next hurdle to haul themselves over is a first win in the league and I’m hopeful that Thursday’s win against Bologna in the Europa League makes that a more likely outcome.

Individual players are finding their way. Boubacar Kamara was in fine fettle against the Rossoblu. John McGinn led from the backside and scored a terrific winning goal. Pau Torres joined the ranks of Villa defenders who’ve had very solid games this season. Matty Cash has had a few.