An under-pressure Aston Villa side, fighting to keep hold of their top four spot, hosts a Brighton side desperate for a victory.
Aston Villa have plenty of problems and pressure ahead of the next few games, as Unai Emery’s character is set to be tested in a big way in the game against Brighton & Hove Albion. Having come very close to catching leaders Arsenal at one stage, when the team went on a tremendous winning streak, reality seems to be catching the Birmingham giants faster than it was expected.
In fact, their home form was the pillar of their success in the early and middle part of the season, and now, Aston Villa are eager to avoid a third straight league defeat at Villa Park. Brentford secured a win recently, with Everton winning in the game here before that, while Villa have dropped points in each of their last two games after settling for a 1-1 draw at the weekend against Bournemouth.
They continue to occupy third place heading into the midweek fixtures, but their gap to leaders Arsenal is now nine points, and Manchester City opened up a lead over them at the weekend. The big pressure comes from the teams behind them, as Manchester United are only three points behind, while Chelsea are also catching up fast. Hence, a victory over Brighton seems vital to maintain their top-four status.
Meanwhile, Fabian Hurzeler stated his Brighton side “have problems” and need “finding solutions” following their eighth defeat of the season at the hands of key rivals Crystal Palace. The most recent edition of the M23 Derby ended in an away win, as Palace’s Ismaila Sarr scored the winner midway through the second half.
Hurzeler has come under massive pressure to maintain his position in the dugout, and Brighton might consider a change if results do not go their way. In only a space of a couple of months, the Seagulls have fallen from the fifth spot to their current position in 14th on the table.
European football is steadily becoming a distant dream for the Seagulls, as they are winless in their last five league games. In fact, their loss to Aston Villa in the reverse fixture began a bad run, as Brighton have won just once in their last 12 league games, which has seen the fans turn on the German manager.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Unai Emery continues to maneuver without injured players, as some key men such as Youri Tielemans, John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara and Andres Garcia are all missing. New signing Alysson is also out of contention, while there is no return date on Ross Barkley at the moment.
Once again, Emery must work with the options he has, and after another inventive as well as confusing January window, he could still select a strong lineup for the Brighton clash. On-loan midfielder Douglas Luiz will pair up with Amadou Onana in the midfield pairing, with Morgan Rogers occupying the No.10 role in the setup.
Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa will assume their roles at the heart of the defence, while Emery will rely on Matty Cash and Ian Maatsen will play as full-backs. Emiliano Buendia will play on the left side, with Jadon Sancho likely to be preferred on the right, as Ollie Watkins remains their main man up front.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Luiz, Onana; Sancho, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins
Brighton & Hove Albion
For Fabian Hurzeler, a victory is much needed at this point of the season, but he must make do with a few of his key stars missing. Chief among those is defender Jan Paul van Hecke, who is ruled out with a thigh problem, meaning Olivier Boscagli will once again pairt up with Lewis Dunk at the heart of the defence.
Ferdi Kadioglu and Maxim De Cuyper will cover the full-back roles at the back. Solly March, Stefanos Tzimas, Adam Webster, Mats Wieffer, and Diego Gomez are certainly ruled out, while there are considerable doubts over Yasin Ayari’s participation.
The latter’s potential absence probably opens the door for veteran James Milner to start this one, as he will equal Gareth Barry’s long-standing record for appearances in the Premier League. He will have Carlos Baleba and Pascal Gross in that midfield setup. Danny Welbeck could return to the side and lead the line for Brighton, with Yankuba Minteh and Kaouru Mitoma on the wings.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Verbruggen; Kadioglu, Dunk, Boscagli, De Cuyper; Milner, Baleba, Gross; Minteh, Welbeck, Mitoma
Key Stats
- Aston Villa have scored at least two goals in nine of their last ten matches against Brighton in all competitions.
- Aston Villa have lost their last two home Premier League games, having won eight in a row beforehand. The Villans have not lost three in a row since November 2020 under Dean Smith, the third game of which was against Brighton.
- Brighton & Hove Albion are winless in their last five Premier League games. The Seagulls have only one victory in their last 12 league outings.
- Brighton haven’t won any of their last five away Premier League matches (D3 L2) since a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest. That win is their only one of their last seven away wins against a manager currently in the competition; the other six were against Kieran McKenna, Ruben Amorim, Ivan Juric, Vitor Pereira, Ange Postecoglou and Enzo Maresca.
- Ollie Watkins has scored more goals (9) and has more goal involvements (11) against Brighton than he does any other opponent in the Premier League. Indeed, he averages a goal or assist every 76 minutes against the Seagulls, the best rate of any player to play 600+ minutes against them.
Player to Watch
James Milner
Should the experienced midfielder make the lineup for Brighton in midweek, he will match Gareth Barry’s record of 653 appearances in the Premier League. Once that is achieved, the 40-year-old will be expected to break that and set a benchmark.
Records aside, his possible inclusion in the lineup might be a desperate measure from Brighton to get a positive result on board. It’s time for Milner to bring his experience to the table and put in a performance to help his team conquer Aston Villa away from home.
Prediction
Aston Villa 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion are in a terrible run of form, winning one of their last 12 League games, while none in their last five. The pressure is mounting on Fabian Hurzeler, and there are doubts whether a manager this young has it in him to find a solution to overturn a period of adversity.
Meanwhile, Brighton & Hove Albion face an Aston Villa side desperate to keep hold of their top-four status, which could see Unai Emery go all out in this one. The hosts are expected to take three points and keep pace with Manchester City in a bid to achieve UEFA Champions League qualification at the end of the season.
