Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion both need a positive result to forget their most recent performance, as the two European aspirants lock horns at Villa Park.
Aston Villa suffered a setback on Boxing Day when they were looking dangerous over the last few games, and they will hope to resurrect their fortunes against Brighton & Hove Albion. Coming on the back of four straight wins in the Premier League, with the latest being against a deflated Manchester City side, the fans were looking forward to the previous match against Newcastle United.
While the Magpies took a second-minute lead in that clash, Aston Villa was knocking about for an equaliser before referee Anthony Taylor deemed John Duran’s accidental stamp on Fabian Schar as dangerous and sent off the in-form striker. Unai Emery was critical of the match official and insisted the referee should have taken more time to analyse the situation before making the decision on the red card.
The game resulted in a 3-0 win for Newcastle United, and Aston Villa remained in ninth on the table, as they get set to welcome tenth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion to Villa Park. At home, Villa have been good all season, losing just one game against Arsenal early in the campaign, meaning fans might come to expect another positive result on home soil.
Brighton & Hove Albion have endured a testing period lately, failing to win their last six Premier League games, which has put a dent in their top-four ambitions established earlier in the season. On Friday night, they hosted a Brentford side struggling for away form, and while dominating the clash, they could not put the ball past the net.
There will be questions asked of Brighton, and another such slip-up could be a blow to their European ambitions going forwards. However, Fabian Hurzeler will be keen to find a solution to their problems, especially as they host Arsenal next in the league after the Villa trip.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Unai Emery does have a near-full squad at his disposal, barring Jacob Ramsey, who is close to making a return, and could feature in a few games from now. Jhon Duran will miss out on the Brighton & Hove Albion clash as well as two more as Aston Villa failed with an appeal to rescind his red card against Newcastle United.
The Colombian international will be joined by Matty Cash, who picked up his fifth yellow card of the season so far. Those two positions will be what Emery might have to change for the Brighton clash, as Ezri Konsa is widely expected to feature in the right-back slot in place of the Polish defender.
Similarly, Ollie Watkins, who had lost his place in the last few games to Duran, will replace the Colombian for the next three games at the very least. Diego Carlos is expected to come into the side and partner Pau Torres in the heart of defence. Youri Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana are the choices to start in midfield. Morgan Rogers and John McGinn will support Watkins up front.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Tielemans, Kamara, Onana; McGinn, Watkins, Rogers
Brighton
Fabian Hurzeler may not look for too many surgeries with his starting eleven following the stalemate against Brentford, as his squad still has a long list of players who are short of full fitness. The Brighton & Hove Albion boss will hope for key returnees sooner rather than later, meaning he may have to rely on a few used options for the visit of Aston Villa.
As many as six players, including Danny Welbeck and Jack Hinshelwood, are closer to making a return, while Ferdi Kadiouglu. Mats Wieffer, Adam Webster, and Solly March are also close. The latter was out for nearly 14 months with an ACL rupture and recently came off as a substitute, which has given Hurzeler more options on the right wing.
However, the performance of Brajan Gurda against Brentford might help the manager make his choice for the Villa clash. James Milner and Evan Ferguson are the only absentees from Brighton that are confirmed, meaning a similar side that lined up against the Bees might be in order.
Joao Pedro will likely lead the line for Brighton against Aston Villa, with Georginio Rutter, Kaoru Mitoma, and Gruda supporting the attack. The impressive Carlos Baleba and Matt O’Riley will feature in the midfield double pivot, while Lewis Dunk leads the defence alongside Jan Paul van Hecke.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan; Baleba, O’Riley; Gruda, Rutter, Mitoma; Pedro
Key Stats
- Aston Villa have scored at least two goals in their last five home matches against Brighton & Hove Albion in all competitions.
- Aston Villa have seen over 2.5 goals in five of their last six home matches against Brighton in all competitions.
- Brighton & Hove Albion have failed to win their last six games in the Premier League.
- Brighton have only four wins in their last 22 away games in the Premier League.
Player to Watch
Ollie Watkins
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The forgotten Aston Villa talisman will have his chance to shine in front of the goal owing to the red card Jhon Duran picked up against Newcastle United on the most recent matchday. The England international will want to put in a solid performance in this one to make himself the first-choice striker, but he will need goals in the next three games.
Watkins is very much capable, but his form has been hit and miss this season, which has forced Emery to shun his plans and use Duran as his starting striker in a wonderful run of games of late. Losing Duran is obviously a blow, but Aston Villa have a big enough replacement in Watkins to help steer past Brighton and more.
Prediction
Aston Villa 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Fabian Hurzeler will rue the goalless draw against Brentford, although his side did produce many lethal chances in front of goal. There will be a similar expectation when they visit Villa Park, although their dreadful form on the road will cause problems.
Aston Villa, on the other hand, have been solid at home, losing just one game so far this season against Arsenal, which will keep them as the favourites in this clash. The home side are expected to take three points, although Brighton & Hove Albion are likely to give them a tough test along the way.