Bet on Villa and Wolves as Premier League Card Counts Continue to Soar
The teams have had contrasting starts to the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, but the teams are set for an action-packed showdown when they go toe-to-toe on Saturday.
The average number of cards given in a Premier League match is on the rise. Last season’s cards tally was the highest in the history of the top flight as referees clamped down on poor tackles, time-wasting and dissent. The current season has also made a whirlwind start in terms of cards, so there is an opportunity for bettors to take advantage.
- There were 65 cards handed out in a record-breaking weekend in the Premier League.
- Aston Villa, the second-most fouled team in the league, face Wolves, the team that have made the second-most fouls.
- The last five head-to-heads between these sides have seen an average of 6.4 cards.
A Record-Breaking Weekend in the Premier League
Prior to the 2023/24 season, the previous five editions of the Premier League saw an average of 3.55 cards awarded per game. None of those seasons saw more than the average of 3.77 cards handed out in the 2022/23 campaign.
Those numbers shot up last season, when there was an average of 4.53 cards per game. With the card count soaring, the bet we have singled out for this match landed in both meetings between Aston Villa and Wolves last season, and there are no signs of the card train slowing down.
With 65, last weekend saw the most cards ever awarded in a Premier League matchday, eclipsing the previous record of 57. Nine cards were shown for dissent and there were a further nine cards dished out for time wasting. Jarred Gillett gave out seven yellow cards in the first half of the North London Derby, but it was Bournemouth vs Chelsea that took the crown. There were 14 cards in that match, beating the previous record of 12, which was last reached when Chelsea played Tottenham in 2016.
The Stats Promise a Hard-Fought Affair
Aston Villa have forced an average of 14.75 fouls in their opening four league matches of the season. This makes them the second-most fouled team in the division, with only Newcastle being fouled more frequently. Unai Emery’s men take on a Wolves side that have committed the second-most fouls in the league, with an average of 15.5, so we should see plenty of crunching tackles on Saturday.
There has been an average of 25.6 fouls made in the last five head-to-heads between the sides. This has translated into cards. Those clashes have seen 31 yellows and one red card handed out by the referee. This equates to 6.4 cards per game on average, so over 5.5 looks like a good bet going into the weekend.
Both of these teams’ games in the league have so far exceeded the average card count. Aston Villa matches are averaging 5.25 cards per game, while Wolves’ matches are averaging 5.5 cards per game. There were six cards the last time Gary O’Neil’s side took to the field in the Premier League.