Aston Villa vs Brentford – News and Probable Lineups

On Saturday afternoon, two clubs from contrasting positions in the Premier League will meet at Villa Park as Aston Villa takes on Brentford.

Unai Emery’s squad will be eager to avenge their previous narrow 1-0 defeat at home against the Bees during their last match in February, in which Keith Andrews’s team emerged victorious.

Match overview

Aston Villa managed to secure their first win of the new season by defeating bottom-placed Tottenham 3-2 in North London, prior to the international break, after experiencing an unfortunate start to the Premier League with only one draw and three losses in their initial four matches.

Villa showcased their determination by fending off a late comeback attempt from Tottenham, successfully earning their third victory in four competitions, much to the satisfaction of head coach Unai Emery, who praised his players’ defensive strength in a “very demanding” fixture that tested them.

As the reigning Europa League champions, Villa will aim to build momentum and improve their position from 16th place in the Premier League standings; they had a fantastic run at the same point last year, recording 12 wins in 13 league matches.

This Saturday, Aston Villa will return to their home ground, hoping to avoid their third consecutive league loss at home for the first time since November 2020, a streak that occurred under former manager Dean Smith. Unai Emery has yet to lose three home league matches in a row throughout his extensive managerial career spanning 22 years.

Additionally, Villa has suffered defeats in their last two Premier League clashes against Brentford without scoring; their last home win in the top flight against the Bees occurred in December 2024, thanks to goals from Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, and Matty Cash, resulting in a 3-1 triumph.

Brentford is one of just five teams yet to experience a loss in the Premier League this campaign and has achieved their best start to a top-flight season, gathering nine points from their first five fixtures (W2 D3).

Almost a month after their 3-0 opening weekend victory against Tottenham, the Bees convincingly defeated their West London rivals Chelsea by the same margin at home just before the international break, pushing Keith Andrews’s squad into fourth place in the standings.

The 22-day international break may have come at an inconvenient time for Brentford, who had built a nine-game unbeaten streak across all competitions (W4 D5) and succeeded in scoring two or more goals in five of those games.

However, Andrews is optimistic that his squad, known for being ‘competitive’ and ‘adaptable,’ can continue their promising start, aiming for a fourth consecutive victory against Aston Villa across all tournaments, and their second win at Villa Park in 2026.

Despite this, Brentford has struggled to secure victories away from home, having not won any of their last seven Premier League away games (D5 L2) since their 4-3 win over Burnley in February.

Team News

Aston Villa will be without Amadou Onana (knee) and Ian Maatsen (ankle), who are sidelined due to injuries. Pau Torres (hamstring), Matty Cash (dead leg), Alysson (muscle), and Marco Bizot (back) are all questionable for the match.

New signing Leon Goretzka (knee), who has yet to make his debut with the team, along with 17-year-old talent Brian Madjo (ankle) will also be evaluated before the match, with hopes that they can be included in the matchday squad.

Johan Manzambi, another recent addition, marked his debut by both scoring and assisting in his first Premier League start for Aston Villa, becoming the second player to achieve this, following Kevin Phillips in August 2005. He is expected to feature on the left flank of midfield, supported by Emiliano Buendia and John McGinn, who will also bolster the attack for striker Nicolas Jackson.

On the Brentford side, Mikkel Damsgaard is likely to miss time after picking up “a bigger injury” to his ankle while on international duty with Denmark. Young forward Kaye Furo (unspecified) is also receiving treatment.

Dango Ouattara’s participation is uncertain due to an illness that caused him to be absent from Burkina Faso’s international matches, while Mathias Jensen (unspecified), Joshua Dasilva (thigh), Antoni Milambo (knee), Nathan Collins (calf), and Sepp van den Berg (groin) will be assessed leading up to kickoff.

New recruit Jannik Schuster delivered an impressive performance against Chelsea, earning him another start at centre-back alongside Kristoffer Ajer, while Vitaly Janelt – who currently leads all Premier League players with 16 interceptions this season – could partner with Yehor Yarmolyuk and Mamadou Sangare in the midfield.

Aston Villa probable starting XI:

Suzuki; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Mings, Ruggeri; Chamber, Gomes; McGinn, Health, Mangombi; Jackson

Brentford probable starting XI:

Kelleher; Kayode, Schuster, Ajer, Lewis-Potter; Sangare, Yarmolyuk, Janelt; Anthony, Thiago, Damage

This weekend could see goals flowing at both ends, as seven of Brentford’s last nine league outings have featured scoring from both teams, while Villa has registered only one clean sheet in their last seven matches this season.

Although the Bees have been adept at edging narrow encounters against Villa in the past year, we expect the hosts to build on their confidence from the victory over Tottenham and secure at least a hard-fought point on their home turf.