Aston Villa will be looking to bounce back from a Premier League defeat in midweek when they welcome Brentford to Villa Park on Saturday afternoon.
After claiming a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture four months ago, the Villains can complete their first league double over the Bees for 77 years if they collect maximum points on home soil.
Match preview
© Reuters
Aston Villa suffered their first Premier League away defeat of 2024 when they were put to the sword 4-1 by title hopefuls Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.
The Villains held their own for much of the first half, and although Jhon Duran scored his sixth goal of the season to cancel out an early Rodri opener, they headed into half time 2-1 behind as a shambolic wall created a huge gap that allowed Phil Foden to fire a free kick into the bottom corner – Nicolo Zaniolo the prime culprit for turning his back.
Unai Emery's men offered a threat on the counter-attack, but Foden completed his hat-trick with two brilliant strikes in the space of seven second-half minutes to condemn a depleted Villa side to their eighth league loss of the campaign.
Once deemed dark horses for the Premier League title earlier this season, Villa are now focused on consolidating their place in the top four for the first time since 1995-96, but that task is currently out of their own hands, as Tottenham Hotspur - who sit just two points behind them in fifth - can leapfrog the Villains if they win their game in hand.
Fifth may still suffice for Champions League qualification, but uncertainties over UEFA's coefficient rankings means that Villa cannot rest on their laurels and will be keen to finish the season strongly, starting with victory on Saturday against a Brentford side whom they have beaten in two of their last three league meetings, including a 4-0 win in their last head-to-head at Villa Park in October 2022.
© Reuters
After rescuing a point in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United last weekend, Brentford shared the spoils in a goalless stalemate with Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday night, extending their winless run to eight matches.
Although the Seagulls boasted 67% possession and 24 shots on goal, it was the Bees who created the better opportunities on home soil, but they ultimately lacked a cutting edge in the final third and had referee Andy Madley to thank, after he opted to overturn VAR's call to award a Brighton penalty when Yoane Wissa appeared to pull down Lewis Dunk in the area.
Thomas Frank's side secured an impressive ninth-placed finish and picked up 59 points in the Premier League last season, but they find themselves down in 14th spot with only 28 points this time around, six points above the relegation zone with seven games left to play.
Four of those upcoming fixtures are away from home where Brentford have struggled for some time to say the least, having lost nine of their last 10 top-flight matches on the road, including each of their last four – the exception was a 2-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers in February in their last visit to the West Midlands.
That form must change if they wish to avoid being dragged into a relegation dogfight, but success on Saturday could prove challenging as the Bees have never won a league fixture away at Aston Villa, drawing five and losing three of their previous eight visits.
Team News
© Reuters
Aston Villa are still having to cope without the services of Tyrone Mings, Boubacar Kamara, Emiliano Buendia (all knee), Matty Cash (thigh) and Jacob Ramsey (ankle) as they all continue to recover from injury.
Emiliano Martinez pulled out of the starting lineup in midweek due to illness, but Emery is hopeful that the goalkeeper can recover in time for Saturday, while top scorer Ollie Watkins will have his hamstring problem assessed in the coming days.
John McGinn has served a three-match suspension and is expected to return in midfield, while Pau Torres, Alex Moreno, Youri Tielemans and Leon Bailey will also be pushing to start after beginning as substitutes against Man City.
As for Brentford, Josh Dasilva, Rico Henry (both knee), Ben Mee (ankle), Aaron Hickey (thigh) and Kevin Schade (groin) all remain sidelined, while Christian Norgaard (back) and Ethan Pinnock (ankle) will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Mathias Jorgensen, Kristoffer Ajer and Nathan Collins are all in line to continue at centre-back, but Keane Lewis-Potter could be replaced at left wing-back by Sergio Reguilon.
After making three substitute appearances since his comeback from injury, Bryan Mbeumo is "ready" to start according to Frank, and the Frenchman could play in attack alongside Ivan Toney, who is hoping to end a seven-game goal drought.
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Moreno; Bailey, Luiz, Tielemans, McGinn; Diaby, Duran
Brentford possible starting lineup:
Flekken; Zanka, Collins, Ajer; Roerslev, Onyeka, Jensen, Janelt, Reguilon; Mbeumo, Toney
We say: Aston Villa 2-1 Brentford
Both teams are in need of claiming all three points for different reasons this weekend, but Brentford head to Villa Park as the underdogs considering their miserable away form.
Aston Villa have been hit and miss in recent home games, losing three of their last five, but they should find a way to come out on top against their relegation-threatened counterparts this time around, even if Watkins is not deemed fit to feature.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
