Aston Villa will host Brentford at Villa Park on Sunday, with both teams looking to continue their push for European football.
Aston Villa have picked up three wins from their last six Premier League matches ahead of the game vs Brentford, and they will need to be more consistent if they want to finish in the top four. The Villans are undoubtedly the better team, and the fans will expect a strong performance from the players.
On the other hand, Brentford have lost their last two Premier League matches, and they will be desperate to bounce back strongly. The Bees have had an impressive season so far, and they will be aiming for a top-half finish. Keith Andrews’s men are currently eighth in the league table, and they will look to pull off an upset here.
Brentford are unbeaten in their last two matches against Aston Villa, and it remains to be seen whether they can get the job done here. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Boubacar Kamara and John McGinn are out with knee injuries, while Youri Tielemans is recovering from an ankle injury, and Andres Garcia misses out with a thigh injury. Additionally, Alysson is struggling with pain in his knee. However, Ross Barkley and Ollie Watkins face late fitness tests to determine their availability.
Aston Villa will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Brentford, with Emiliano Martinez in goal. Matty Cash and Lucas Digne will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back. Meanwhile, Ezri Konsa will start alongside Pau Torres at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Amadou Onana and Douglas Luiz will provide defensive cover and control. Morgan Rogers will be deployed in the attacking midfield role, looking to link the midfield to the attack.
Jadon Sancho and Emiliano Buendia will start on the flanks. They will look to create goalscoring opportunities and add unpredictability in the final third. Finally, Tammy Abraham will lead the line for Aston Villa vs Brentford. Ollie Watkins has a knock, and he might not be risked here.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Luiz; Buendia, Rogers, Sancho; Abraham
Brentford
Fabio Carvalho is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, while Antoni Milambo and Joshua Dasilva are injured as well. However, Mikkel Damsgaard (knee) and Kristoffer Ajer (ankle) should be fit and available to take on Aston Villa on Sunday.
Brentford will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Aston Villa, with Caoimhin Kelleher in goal. Michael Kayode and Rico Henry will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight defensively and hit the hosts on the break. Nathan Collins will form the central defensive partnership alongside Sepp van den Berg.
As for the midfield unit, Jordan Henderson and Yehor Yarmolyuk will look to protect the defence and win the ball back for their side. Mikkel Damsgaard will start as the central attacking midfielder and help create opportunities in the final third.
Kevin Schade and Keane Lewis-Potter will start on the flanks. They will look to open up the opposition defence with their pace, flair, and movement. Finally, Igor Thiago will spearhead the Brentford attack vs Aston Villa on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, van den Berg, Henry; Yarmolyuk, Henderson; Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago
Key Stats
- Aston Villa and Brentford have picked up three wins from their last six Premier League matches. 17 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams. Aston Villa are unbeaten in four of their last six matches against Brentford.
- Brentford have kept three clean sheets in their last six matches across all competitions. However, the Bees have lost their two most recent Premier League games, going down 2-0 against both Chelsea and Nottingham Forest. They last lost three consecutive league games without scoring in March 2012 in League One.
- Aston Villa have also kept three clean sheets from their last six matches across all competitions.
- Aston Villa have scored a league-high 13 goals from outside the box in the Premier League this season, with the Villans only netting more in a campaign in 2007/08 (16). They have also scored the highest share from outside the box this term (37%), with only QPR in 2012-13 netting a higher share from distance across a full campaign (40% – 12/30).
- Only bottom side Wolves (9) have lost more Premier League away games than Brentford this season (8), with the Bees the only side without a draw on the road so far (W3).
Player to Watch
Morgan Rogers
The Aston Villa playmaker is our key player to watch out for. Rogers has been in impressive form, and he will look to create opportunities for his teammates in the final third. He could help break down the Brentford defence and find the back of the net.
Only Bruno Fernandes’s goals and assists have been worth points (17) to his side in the Premier League this season than Morgan Rogers (15). Aston Villa will depend on him to create opportunities in the final third and open up chances for players like Tammy Abraham. It will be interesting to see whether the talented young attacking midfielder can make a defining impact in the final third.
Prediction
Aston Villa 2-1 Brentford
Both teams will be looking to pick up all three points here, and this is likely to be a close contest. Neither side will want to end up on the losing side. They will look to put up a fight here, and it will be difficult to separate them.
Both teams are likely to get on the scoresheet. Neither side has been solid on defence in recent weeks. However, Aston Villa will have greater depth and quality in the attacking unit, and they should be able to pick up all three points. A narrow win for the home team is on the cards.
