Aston Villa vs Brighton – News and Probable Lineups

Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion will be aiming to get back to winning ways in the Premier League as they face off at Villa Park on Wednesday evening.

In their earlier encounter just over two months ago, the two teams played out a remarkable seven-goal contest, with Villa emerging victorious at the Amex Stadium with a 4-3 scoreline.

Match overview

Following an impressive eight-match winning streak in the Premier League late last year, Aston Villa has managed to win only two of their last seven league outings (D3 L3), having dropped points in their initial February fixtures against Brentford and Bournemouth.

Unai Emery’s team faced a narrow 1-0 defeat at home against the Bees before settling for a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth last weekend. These results have likely extinguished their faint hopes of challenging Arsenal for the title, with a top-five finish now being the primary focus for the remainder of the season.

Villa ranks third in the Premier League standings, nine points adrift of the leaders, Arsenal, while they sit eight points ahead of sixth-placed Liverpool. Nevertheless, the Midlands team must remain vigilant as they are scheduled to play against Liverpool, second-placed Manchester City, fourth-placed Manchester United, and fifth-placed Chelsea before the end of the campaign.

Emery’s side has lost their last two home Premier League matches against Brentford and Everton and is eager to avoid becoming the first English top-flight team ever to lose three consecutive home games after previously winning eight (or more) in a row. Villa has not suffered three straight home losses since November 2020 under former manager Dean Smith.

On a brighter note, Villa can take some solace in the fact that they have claimed victory in seven of their last nine Premier League meetings with Brighton (D1 L1) and they aim to achieve the double over the Seagulls for the third time, having done so in 2022-23 and 2023-24.

After suffering a last-minute equalizer in a 1-1 draw at home against Everton, Brighton experienced their eighth defeat of the Premier League season last weekend, losing 1-0 to M23 rivals Crystal Palace, courtesy of Ismaila Sarr’s goal in the 61st minute.

A number of Brighton supporters expressed their dissatisfaction with head coach Fabian Hurzeler by chanting “you’re getting sacked in the morning” at the match’s conclusion, with the German acknowledging afterward that his team “has problems” and that “finding solutions” is crucial.

Brighton’s performance in the Premier League has significantly declined, with their only victory in the last 12 matches (D6 L5) being a 2-0 win against Burnley on January 3. Since the start of December, the Seagulls rank 18th in the form table, accumulating just nine points.

In a matter of months, Brighton has dropped from fifth position to 14th in the table, trailing Chelsea in fifth by 12 points and Brentford in seventh by eight points. Therefore, a strong finish to the season is essential if they aim to make a late push for European spots.

Victory on Wednesday is not guaranteed, as Brighton has not won any of their last five away games in the Premier League (D3 L2), and they have achieved just one win in their last six league away fixtures against Aston Villa (D1 L4), with at least two goals conceded in each of the five matches where they failed to win.

Team News

Aston Villa’s Youri Tielemans (ankle), John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara (both knee) and Andres Garcia (thigh) are still out due to injuries, while new signing Alysson (knee) is also expected to miss this match despite returning to training last week.

Ollie Watkins has netted more goals (nine) and has contributed to more goals (11) against Brighton than against any other Premier League opponent, and he will look to fend off competition from January recruit Tammy Abraham for another starting spot up front. Morgan Rogers, on the other hand, has played a part in four goals in his last five home games in all competitions (three goals, one assist) and is anticipated to maintain an attacking central role.

Lucas Digne did not perform well against Bournemouth, hence Ian Maatsen may take his place at left-back. Pau Torres might also return to the defense at the expense of Tyrone Mings, while Ezri Konsa and Matty Cash are likely to continue in the back four.

For Brighton, Jan Paul van Hecke, who scored twice in the Seagulls’ 4-3 loss to Villa two months back, will miss this week’s game due to a thigh injury, along with Stefanos Tzimas, Adam Webster, and Solly March (all knee), Mats Wieffer (ankle/foot), and Yasin Ayari (shoulder).

Olivier Boscagli is set to continue alongside captain Lewis Dunk in central defense, while Hurzeler will have to decide whether to stick with 17-year-old midfielder Harry Howell, who unexpectedly made his full Premier League debut last time out, or recall either Jack Hinshelwood, Diego Gomez, or Matt O’Reilly.

James Milner is also in the running to play, and the 40-year-old midfielder will equal Gareth Barry’s all-time Premier League appearances record of 653 games if he takes the field against his former club Villa.

Aston Villa probable starting XI:

Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Onana, Luiz; Sancho, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins

Brighton & Hove Albion probable starting XI:

Bridge; Kadioglu, Dunk, Boscagli, De Cuyper; Gomez, Baleba, Gross; Minteh, Welbeck, Mitoma

An exciting, back-and-forth match could be anticipated on Wednesday, considering that six of the last seven encounters between Aston Villa and Brighton have seen three or more goals scored, with both teams finding the net in five of those games.

While Emery’s team has recently experienced a slight dip at home, they are still considered the favorites to secure a win against a struggling Seagulls side that has faltered away from home and in past visits to Villa Park.