Aston Villa will look to clinch European qualification when they welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to Villa Park on Sunday.
The curtains will fall on the long-winding 2022/23 Premier League season on Sunday. And as is customary in the English top flight, all ten fixtures will kick off simultaneously in Gameweek 38. Meanwhile, only a few games will have some stakes riding on them, one of them being Aston Villa vs Brighton & Hove Albion at Villa Park.
Aston Villa seemed to be in the relegation battle a few months into the 2022/23 season, with Steven Gerrard’s stint proving disastrous. But the Villans were proactive in replacing the former English international, appointing Unai Emery as the head coach in October. And the Spaniard has transformed Villa’s fortunes since then.
Emery has overseen a meteoric rise through the Premier League table, with Aston Villa becoming contenders for European qualification. And despite blowing hot and cold in the last few weeks, the Midlands outfit can still finish seventh to reach the UEFA Europa Conference League.
On the other hand, Brighton & Hove Albion were another club that switched managers mid-term. Graham Potter joined Chelsea only a month into the season before the South Coast club replaced him with Roberto De Zerbi. And like Emery, the Italian tactician has had the Midas touch on his squad.
The Seagulls have been one of the most eye-catching teams in the Premier League, giving all giants a run for their money. And after holding Manchester City to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday, De Zerbi’s men have guaranteed a sixth-placed finish. So they will play in the Europa League next season.
The reverse fixture saw Aston Villa come from a goal down to beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1, with Danny Ings scoring a match-winning brace. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
You'll come back stronger, @AlexMoreno. 💪 pic.twitter.com/kKjry24TT0
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) May 27, 2023
Unai Emery has greeted a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, the Aston Villa manager will be bereft of the services of three first-team players.
The good news is that Calum Chambers has recovered from an illness and should be available to take on Brighton & Hove Albion. In addition, Diego Carlos has shrugged off a knock and will face a late fitness test to determine his availability.
But Alex Moreno sustained a thigh injury last weekend against Liverpool and will not feature in the season’s final game. Philippe Coutinho (knock) and Jed Steer (calf) are also on the sidelines and might not play again for Aston Villa.
Emiliano Martinez is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Aston Villa lining up in a 4-4-2 formation in front of him. And there is no looking past Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, and Lucas Digne in the defensive unit.
As for the midfield quartet, Emery utilises a fluid system that allows Jacob Ramsey and John McGinn to express themselves in the final third when the opportunities present themselves. But the duo will also put the hard yards in the defensive phases.
Boubacar Kamara and Douglas Luiz will be primarily defensive-minded, with the duo looking to keep things tight in the middle of the park. Finally, Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Buendia will be the two attackers, with the former spearheading the Aston Villa attack against Brighton.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; McGinn, Kamara, Luiz, Ramsey; Buendia, Watkins
Brighton & Hove Albion
Unlike his counterpart in the Aston Villa dugout, Roberto De Zerbi does not have any new roster issues to deal with ahead of the trip to Villa Park. The Brighton & Hove Albion manager will be without six first-team players on Sunday.
Solly March is the most notable absentee, with the in-form winger recovering from a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, Robert Sanchez has played his final game for Brighton and will not be a part of the matchday squad.
Tariq Lamptey (knee), Adam Lallana (thigh), Jakub Moder (knee), and Jeremy Sarmiento (ankle) are the other players on the sidelines. As for the team composition, Jason Steele has been the first-choice goalkeeper for Brighton, impressing with his ball-playing abilities. And the visitors will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him.
Just a reminder that this place will be hosting @EuropaLeague football in 23/24. 😍 pic.twitter.com/a0hWcZW6hn
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) May 25, 2023
The backline will take a lopsided shape depending on the game’s phase. When Brighton & Hove Albion push forward, Joel Veltman, the right-back, will form a back three alongside Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster. That will allow Pervis Estupinan to charge forward and express himself freely.
Estupinan’s touchline hogging spree will enable Julio Enciso to veer infield and create overloads in the final third. And Alexis Mac Allister will have a free role and will look to pull the strings. Kaoru Mitoma and Evan Ferguson should complete the offensive unit.
Finally, Pascal Gross and Moises Caicedo are automatic picks in the double pivot. The duo will shore up things in the middle of the park, stopping Aston Villa’s runners from troubling the defenders. But Gross will also threaten Aston Villa during the set-piece situations.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Steele; Veltman, Dunk, Webster, Estupinan; Gross, Caicedo; Mitoma, Mac Allister, Enciso; Ferguson
Key Stats
- Aston Villa have faced defeat in just one of their seven Premier League matches against Brighton & Hove Albion (W4 D2), going down 2-1 at home in November 2020. Meanwhile, the Seagulls have lost their last three Premier League games against Villa, having lost just one of their previous seven against them in league competition. They have never gone down in four matches in a row versus the Villans before.
- Aston Villa have won their final game in just one of their last eight Premier League campaigns (D2 L5), beating Chelsea 2-1 in 2020/21. No team has lost their final game of the season more often than Aston Villa in the competition (14, level with Everton). On the other hand, Brighton & Hove Albion have lost their final league game in three of their five Premier League campaigns, winning the other two. Before their promotion to the top flight, they had only lost their last league game in three of the previous 19 seasons (W7 D9).
- Victory for Aston Villa will see them qualify for at least the UEFA Europa Conference League play-off stage next season, their first appearance in European competition since the 2010/11 Europa League qualifying rounds.
- Aston Villa have won their last six Premier League home games, scoring 12 goals and conceding just once. They last won seven in a row in the competition at Villa Park between December 1992 and February 1993. Meanwhile, Brighton & Hove Albion have only failed to score in one of their 18 Premier League away games this season.
- Danny Welbeck has been involved in five goals in his last four Premier League appearances on Gameweek 38 (two goals, three assists), scoring in each of his last two such games with Watford (vs Arsenal 2019/20) and Brighton (last season vs West Ham United).
Player to Watch
Alexis Mac Allister
The end of any season brings with it emotional situations as a few players get ready to wave goodbye to the fans who have supported them for a long time. The game between Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion will also feature such a figure, with Alexis Mac Allister likely leaving the Seagulls.
The Argentine international has been a revelation in the middle of the park for Brighton. And after guiding Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, his stock has skyrocketed. With a move to Liverpool on the horizon, Mac Allister will want to bow out with a high. So we can expect another game-changing performance by the 24-year-old.
Prediction
Aston Villa 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion are two of the most eye-catching teams in the Premier League. Yet the way the two managers set up their teams cannot be more different. Nonetheless, we can expect an engrossing affair at Villa Park on Sunday.
With Brighton having nothing to play for on Sunday, they might take the foot off the pedal. In addition, their away record in recent games has been sub-par. And Aston Villa, pushing to secure European qualification, should have the motivation and quality to eke out a narrow victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Unai Emery and his charges.
