Aston Villa head into matchday 24 in ninth place in the Premier League table. The Villains’ position belies their actual form and potential.
Dean Smith’s team are just five points off of the top five and have two games in hand over the teams ahead of them in the table. Aston Villa have won three of their last five league matches but have been inconsistent over the last few weeks.
⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽Enjoy Ollie Watkins' first 𝟭𝟬 Premier League goals! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Ou9RhMJcBC— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) February 12, 2021
⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽Enjoy Ollie Watkins' first 𝟭𝟬 Premier League goals! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Ou9RhMJcBC
Brighton, on the other hand, are on a tremendous run of form. They have moved away from the relegation zone and sit in 15th place. Ten points now separate Brighton from the bottom three.
Graham Potter’s team are on a five-match unbeaten run in the top flight and will be full of confidence on Saturday. Adding to that confidence will be Brighton’s 2-1 win at Villa Park from earlier this season. Danny Welbeck and Solly March scored on either side of an Ezri Konsa goal.
Potter continues to be without full-back Tariq Lamptey and Ali Jahanbakhsh. Both players remain ruled out of playing due to their respective injuries. March will also miss the game after sustaining a knee injury. Adam Webster and Davy Propper are both to undergo fitness tests ahead of the game.
Smith has just two players on his injury list at Aston Villa. The manager will be without long-term injured player Wesley. The striker continues to rehab his knee injury and could return in the next four to six weeks. Kourtney Hause is also ruled out of the game.
Aston Villa took nine points from their last 18 on offer. They were outscored 8-7 during that time, but after last weekend’s 1-0 win over Arsenal, hopes are high that the team can hit the heights they did earlier in the season.
Brighton are in form going into matchday 24. They took 11 points from 18 possible but found the back of the net a mere four times. The Seagulls took those points with a strong defence, conceding a mere two goals.
Aston Villa should end Brighton’s unbeaten run at the Amex Stadium this weekend. Although the Seagulls are playing well, their lack of goal scoring could haunt them when Aston Villa arrive at the Amex Stadium.
The Villains average 1.7 goals per game in the league while Brighton score 1.1 goals per match on average. Aston Villa hit a slump but look to be out of it now and back to their best. They should win away from home and reignite their hopes of a top-five finish.