Pressure is on Villa, says Rodriguez

Southampton forward Jay Rodriguez believes Aston Villa are there for the taking when his side visit on Saturday.

Villa are flirting with relegation, and come into the match on the back of a shock 3-1 defeat to League Two side Bradford City on Tuesday.

The clash has been billed a ‘six-pointer’ in some quarters, but Rodriguez insists all the pressure is on the struggling home side.

“I think Villa are there for the taking,” he told The Mirror. “There is more pressure on them than there is on us, because they are a massive club.

“It is a tough place to go, but it is nice to see the teams you are coming up against getting a bit of stick.

“They had a bad result in the week and will want to put things right. The players expect that but we are capable enough to win.

“We have a self-belief and a spirit that we will move forward. We are picking up points on the road and that is important.

“We have an inner confidence to go there and get the three points.”

The 23-year-old said he was determined for Southampton to retain their English Premier League status, having suffered relegation with former club Burnley.

“To stay in the Premier League is a great achievement because the teams around you are great teams,” Rodriguez said. “It is the best league in the world.”

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