Aston Villa-Burnley Preview

A resurgent Burnley side will be aiming for a third straight victory in the Premier League as they face under-performing Aston Villa at Turf Moor Saturday.

Burnley (2-4-6) claimed their first league win of the season in their 11th attempt, they beat Hull City 1-0 at home Nov. 8, and followed that by beating Stoke City 2-1 away last Saturday with striker Danny Ings scoring two quick-fire goals in the first half. The result at the Britannia Stadium lifted the Clarets off the foot of the Premier League table.

England Under-21 international Ings is confident Burnley can build on their recent back-to back victories versus Villa.

"I'm enjoying my football and everyone knows that I'm at my best when I have a smile on my face," Ings told the Burnley website. "It's all about momentum and the two wins give us a lift but we've had a good mentality from the start of the season.

"Obviously results weren't going our way but we stuck at it and it shows what sort of a club we are. We dig in from start to finish whether we're losing or winning and at the minute things are going well."

Aston Villa (3-3-6) are without a win since mid-September and have taken only two points from their last eight matches.

Villa drew 1-1 at home against Southampton on Monday evening in front of a crowd of 25,311, the lowest league attendance at Villa Park in 15 years. Gabriel Agbonlahor gave the Villans the lead on 30 minutes before England right-back Nathaniel Clyne equalised for the Saints nine minutes from time.

Manager Paul Lambert was disappointed Villa, who are now just two points above the relegation places, didn't beat Southampton but was encouraged by his team's performance. He singled out young centre-backs Jores Okore and Ciaran Clark for special praise.

"I thought we were excellent in spells of the game," Lambert told the Aston Villa website. "I thought there were massive plus points.

"I thought the two young centre-backs were outstanding, I really did. I thought they were excellent. Jores Okore hasn't played for 14 months. And he was outstanding. Ciaran Clark took the lead and helped him. I thought Ciaran was excellent."

Villa failed to score in their last four away league matches, drawing once in that time. The Midlanders have gone 441 minutes without an away goal in league play. Their last away goal was Agbonlahor's ninth-minute strike in the 1-0 victory against Liverpool at Anfield on Sept.13, which was also Villa's most recent win in the Premier League.

Burnley and Aston Villa have not met since October 2010, when the Villans knocked Burnley out of the League Cup with a 2-1 win at Villa Park. Emile Heskey and Stewart Downing netted for Villa, while Clarke Carlisle scored for Burnley.

The last league meetings between these sides came in the season prior, when Villa took four points off the Clarets. Villa won 5-2 at Villa Park in February 2010 with Downing (2), Heskey, Agbonlahor and Ashley Young all finding the back of the net. Steven Fletcher and Martin Paterson scored for Burnley.

The sides drew 1-1 in November 2009 at Turf Moor, where Heskey equalised four minutes from time. Burnley had taken an early lead after Steven Caldwell scored nine minutes into the match.

Those 2009-10 season marked the only league meetings between the sides since the 1975-76 season. Burnley's only win over Villa in the last 38 years came in a 3-1 triumph in the 2004-05 League Cup.