Brighton & Hove Albion
Aston Villa FC
Aston Villa FC
Aston Villa set their sights on European football but face tricky test at in-form Brighton
Aston Villa to win 2-1
Brighton are one of the most improved teams in the Premier League right now, having lifted themselves from a dangerous position just above the bottom three to now sit in a lofty 15th.
The Seagulls have won three of their last five league games, having gone nine games previously without one, with 11 points taken from a possible 15 available to them.
They will now be looking to fully cement their position in the Premier League for next season by picking up further points from a reasonably kind fixture schedule that includes West Brom and Crystal Palace before the end of the month.
Aston Villa have picked themselves up again after a poor run of form, also winning three of their last five. Should they win their two matches in hand, they would leapfrog Liverpool into 4th, although face a tough schedule including Leicester and Leeds from their next two.
This is a tough game to call.
Form Guide (all comps): DWWDL
Reasons to be cheerful:
Came close to beating Leicester in midweek FA Cup match
Pressure is off their shoulders by climbing to 15th
Reasons to be fearful:
Injury list is mounting up
Villa are a tough side to handle when on song
Brighton are now earning the results which their football has deserved for most of the season so far. During their longest spell without a victory, The Seagulls were still putting in decent performances, without the points to show for it.
With recent wins over Leeds, Tottenham and Liverpool, they’ve put a 10-point buffer between themselves and the bottom three, something which will ease the pressure on their shoulders.
Unfortunately, the injuries have mounted up for Brighton over the past few weeks – star full-back Lamptey is likely to need another week or two, with the likes of Propper in a similar situation. Winger Solly March will be out for a while after knee surgery.
However, despite a stretched squad, they’ve been on a good run, unbeaten in six until their last minute FA Cup defeat in midweek.
They’ll aim to be tough to beat once more against Villa.
Star Man – Lewis Dunk
The central defender has been in great form recently, helping keep a six match unbeaten run and also popping up with a goal in last week’s draw at Burnley.
Form Guide (all comps): WLWLW
Reasons to be cheerful:
Picked up a positive win against Arsenal last weekend
Could still clinch European football this season
Reasons to be fearful:
Have been inconsistent in recent weeks, losing four of last six
Tough run of fixtures
For Aston Villa, both sides of the coin are a possibility in terms of how their remaining 17 matches will go.
As they have shown this season, they have the quality to challenge for the top four or six places in the league, and could well go above Liverpool into the Champions League places should they win their two games in hand.
On the flip side, their recent record shows four defeats from six matches, demonstrating an inconsistency that is likely to prevent Dean Smith’s side from clinching European football.
On their day, they can beat anyone in the division, as they showed against an in-form Arsenal side last weekend. Unfortunately, they can also have their off days and can’t afford slip ups in games like this if they are to reach their targets.
Star Man – Ollie Watkins
The young striker now has 12 goals for the season after netting the winner against Arsenal. His goals have transformed Villa this season.
This will be a tight game with few goals
Villa must win in order to keep pace with teams above them
Brighton won’t be beaten easily
Having had a week’s rest, Aston Villa should be fit and firing here, and a quick start could give them a lead in a game which will be closely contested.
Despite this, Brighton are always a tough nut to crack, especially at home where they’ve drawn six of their 11 games this season.
Villa could just edge it, but it’ll be tight.
Aston Villa to win 2-1
