Aston Villa take on Southampton this evening at Villa Park in what represents a good chance for Steven Gerrard's men to win just their second Premier League match of the campaign.

Their last league match saw the club secure a share of the spoils against champions Manchester City, and they had a few opportunities to win the game. Gerrard will be hoping for a performance along those lines tonight.

Southampton have defeated Chelsea and Leicester City so far this season but their last match saw them go down to Wolverhampton Wanderers and they have won just twice in the league this season.

Gerrard might be sweating regarding his team selection, however, with the 42-year-old waiting until the last minute to decide whether one of Villa’s most important players will feature…

Watkins could miss the Southampton clash

Several players appear to be missing for Villa ahead of tonight’s match, with Matty Cash (injury) and Jan Bednarek (ineligible) not available until their next match, although despite the two goalkeepers Emiliano Martinez and Robin Olsen suffering from illness, they are both expected to be ready.

Gerrard explained his thoughts on one of his strikers and their potential absence tonight, saying:

"Ollie was a little bit unwell at the beginning of the week; we’ll make a late call."

This won't be the news either the manager or the Villa faithful will want to hear, especially as it might leave Ings as the only senior striker available for the clash.

Despite scoring just once in the Premier League this season, Watkins is ranked fourth in the Villa squad with a rating of 6.57 as per WhoScored.

His performance against Everton in Villa’s only league win this season showed just how important he is to the team, laying on two assists for teammates, missing one big chance, and having a further shot on target as he looked to get involved as much as possible.

Tonight’s opponents have conceded ten goals in just six league matches this term so far and Watkins would relish the opportunity to terrorise their defence.

Gerrard will be hoping the Englishman is fit, otherwise, he might have to make a slight tactical change to his team. he won't want to upset the balance to a side that performed so well against Man City and it could be a nervy few hours leading up to the game.