Aston Villa and Brentford resume their Premier League campaign in contrasting form, but both will come into this clash on the back of impressive wins before the international break.
Aston Villa are back on home soil after a long three-week break and on the back of a morale-boosting win away at Tottenham in the most recent matchday. Unai Emery’s side went to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium without a Premier League win this season, but they were on the front foot after Johan Manzambi scored the opener, and then dominated proceedings with strikes from Nicolas Jackson and Emiliano Buendia asserting their dominance.
Right until the death, it felt as though Villa would leave North London with a 3-0 win, only for Spurs to score their first goals of the season through Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke, to take the game into a tight finish. Emery will have been satisfied with the three points, and will have had a better international break, planning for things after the break as they welcome Brentford to Villa Park.
Brentford also ended the international break with a stellar home win over Chelsea, as goals from Jaidon Anthony, Igor Thiago, and Fabio Carvalho proved enough to secure three points. Keith Andrews has seen his side open the new season unbeaten across all competitions as they also moved through to the next round of the EFL Cup.
The Bees are also considered one of the most exciting teams, although they are yet to register an away win this term. Andrews will hope to kick-start that away at Villa Park, as a win there would mark the second consecutive victory at that ground in 2026, as well as a fourth against Villa overall in as many games across all competitions.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
The long international break has failed to provide Unai Emery with any respite from injury issues, as his list remains as extensive as it was three weeks ago. Ian Maatsen and Amadou Onana remain sidelined for the long term, while the club are expected to assess summer arrival Leon Goretzka, who is yet to play his first minutes for Villa.
The same could be said of teenage sensation Brian Madjo, with the duo expected to make the matchday squad if deemed fit enough to play a few minutes. Beyond that, there are further doubts over the team, as Pau Torres, Alysson, and Marco Bizot are all touch and go for this clash.
Even Matty Cash is deemed slightly doubtful, and if he is not fit enough, then Aaron Wan-Bissaka will start at right-back. Victor Lindelof, and Tyrone Mings are pencilled in to pair up at the heart of the defence, while the impressive Matteo Ruggeri will play at left-back.
Joao Gomes and Boubacar Kamara are Emery’s midfield picks, while Swiss attacker Johan Manzambi is expected to play more towards the left side of the attack. Emiliano Buendia and John McGinn will also feature in the attacking setup, with Jackson leading the line for Aston Villa against Brentford this weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Suzuki; Cash, Lindelöf, Mings, Ruggeri; Gomes, Kamara; McGinn, Manzambi, Buendia; Jackson
Brentford
Keith Andrews is also dealing with plenty of injury issues, with the problem Mikkel Damsgaard picked up while playing for Denmark the biggest concern of them all. The Danish playmaker joins Kaye Furo on the long-term list of absentees, while there are considerable doubts over others in the squad. Those include defenders Nathan Collins and Sepp van den Berg, while Josh Dasilva is also a doubt. Antoni Milambo could also remain sidelined.
Andrews will have a similar squad to the one he put up for the Chelsea game, although there could be a few alterations along the way, such as the inclusion of Mamadou Sangare. He could also hand the impressive Jannik Schuster another start in the central defensive unit, alongside Kristoffer Ajer.
Without Damsgaard, Andrews could alter his shape to accommodate Yehor Yarmolyuk in midfield. Kevin Schade and Anthony are pencilled in to keep their places in the front three, with Igor Thiago set to spearhead the Brentford attack against Aston Villa.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Kelleher; Kayode, Ajer, Schuster, Lewis-Potter; Sangare, Yarmolyuk, Janelt; Anthony, Thiago, Schade
Key Stats
- Aston Villa have won only one of their five Premier League games so far this season.
- Aston Villa have kept only one clean sheet in their five league games this season.
- Brentford are unbeaten across all competitions this season.
- Brentford have won each of their last three games against Aston Villa.
Player to Watch
Nicolas Jackson
The Spurs game was a breakthrough moment for many players and for the team as a whole, considering how badly Villa have struggled since the new campaign began. Jackson not only scored a crucial goal to mark his presence, but his overall display leading the line was also impressive.
The upcoming games, starting with the one against Brentford, could be a great reference point for Jackson to kick-start his season in Aston Villa colours. His growing understanding of the system was evident against Spurs, and Unai Emery will hope he troubles those Brentford defenders in a similar way to make himself useful in the game, as well as continue to score important goals.
Prediction
Aston Villa 2-2 Brentford
It is a difficult one to call, especially taking into account the factors affecting both teams here. Aston Villa are coming into this one on the back of a key victory, although they need more good results to prove Unai Emery’s side have turned a corner, and their recent record against Brentford is not something to be cheerful about.
Brentford have started the new season unbeaten, although there are considerable doubts over their away record. In fact, the Bees have failed to win each of their last seven away games in the league, and so one might point towards an entertaining draw at Villa Park.
