Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa will be eager to continue their winning runs when they clash at the Amex Stadium on Wednesday.
Gameweek 14 of the 2025/26 Premier League season will continue on Wednesday, which will feature six games. The action on the day will start with two simultaneous matches, including Brighton & Hove Albion vs Aston Villa at the Amex Stadium.
Brighton & Hove Albion have built considerable momentum since the 4-2 defeat to Manchester United in October. The Seagulls have embarked on a four-match unbeaten streak since then, conceding only one goal during that run. That has helped Fabian Hurzeler’s men rise to fifth in the Premier League standings, only two points outside the top four.
The story is similar for Aston Villa, as the Villans have lost only two of their last 13 matches, dating back to September. With only one of those defeats coming in the Premier League, Unai Emery’s men have risen to fourth in the Premier League standings, with second-placed Manchester City only a point ahead. So, UEFA Champions League qualification may be on the cards this term.
The corresponding fixture ended in a 3-0 win for Aston Villa, with a second-half blitzkrieg earning the West Midlands outfit a comprehensive victory. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Brighton & Hove Albion
Fabian Hurzeler has received positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Brighton & Hove Albion manager may be bereft of the services of only three first-team players vs Aston Villa on Wednesday.
Kaoru Mitoma (ankle) and Georginio Rutter (head) have resumed training, and they should be available to face Aston Villa, albeit off the bench. However, Adam Webster (knee), James Milner (match fitness), and Solomon March (knee) remain in the treatment room.
Bart Verbruggen is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Brighton & Hove Albion lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Aston Villa on Wednesday. The backline will feature Ferdi Kadioglu, Jan Paul van Hecke, Lewis Dunk, and Maxim De Cuyper.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Carlos Baleba and Yasin Ayari in the double pivot, with Jack Hinshelwood reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Danny Welbeck will lead the line for Brighton & Hove Albion against Aston Villa, with Yankuba Minteh and Diego Gomez being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Kadioglu, van Hecke, Dunk, De Cuyper; Baleba, Ayari; Minteh, Hinshelwood, Gomez; Welbeck
Aston Villa
Unlike his counterpart in the Brighton & Hove Albion dugout, no Aston Villa player is ready to return ahead of the trip to the Amex Stadium. So, Unai Emery will be without only two first-team players on Wednesday.
Tyrone Mings is the most notable absentee, with the veteran English centre-back recovering from a hamstring injury. Ross Barkley is the only other absentee, with the former Everton and Chelsea playmaker struggling with a knock.
Emiliano Martinez will retain his spot between the sticks, with Aston Villa lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday. The backline will feature Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, and Lucas Digne.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana in the double pivot. Morgan Rogers will reprise the no. 10 role, and Ollie Watkins will spearhead the Aston Villa attack against Brighton & Hove Albion, with John McGinn and Emiliano Buendia playing around them.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Tielemans, Onana; McGinn, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins
Key Stats
- Brighton & Hove Albion have won only one of their last nine Premier League matches vs Aston Villa (D2 L6), a 1-0 home win in May 2024. The Villans have won three of their four most recent away league games against Brighton (L1), as many as they had in their first 11 outings on the road against the Seagulls (D5 L3).
- Aston Villa have lost their last four away Premier League games in December. Meanwhile, Unai Emery has won only four of his 21 most recent league games on the road in the festive period (D6 L11), encompassing spells at Sevilla, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Villarreal, and Aston Villa.
- Brighton & Hove Albion are unbeaten in their last 10 home Premier League matches (W6 D4), winning the three most recent top-flight clashes at the Amex Stadium. The Seagulls have never won four successive top-flight home games, most recently doing so in the Premier League in March/April 2017 in the EFL Championship.
- Since the start of March, only Arsenal have won more away Premier League points than Aston Villa (20); the Villans have won six of their 12 games on the road in that time (D2 L4). Their last two away wins have come after going 1-0 down: against Tottenham Hotspur in October and Leeds United in November.
- Ollie Watkins has scored seven Premier League goals in nine appearances against Brighton & Hove Albion, also providing two assists in those games. However, six of those seven goals (plus both assists) have come at Villa Park.
Player to Watch
Danny Welbeck
While Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers, and Diego Gomez were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Danny Welbeck as the Player to Watch for the Premier League clash between Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa at the Amex Stadium.
The veteran English striker has scored in his last three home Premier League games for Brighton & Hove Albion. However, Welbeck has never scored in four consecutive top-flight home outings for any of the clubs he has played for.
The only Brighton player to score in four successive Premier League appearances at the Amex was Glenn Murray between October and December 2018. The Englishman will be out to correct that record in the midweek Premier League clash at the Amex Stadium.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Aston Villa
Wednesday’s Premier League clash at the Amex Stadium is not easy to call. While Brighton & Hove Albion are on a roll, they have a dreadful recent record against Aston Villa. Additionally, the visitors have been on an incredible run of form. So, a closely-contested affair is on the cards this midweek.
With both teams showcasing impressive resolve in defensive phases, the scorekeepers may not be busy on Wednesday. Ultimately, there may not be much to separate the two sides, and The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw between Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa.