Preview: Aston Villa vs. Brighton & Hove Albion - prediction, team news, lineups

Ninth hosts 10th successful the Premier League this Monday erstwhile Brighton & Hove Albion question northbound to look Aston Villa.

The visitors volition beryllium reeling from a bruising decision connected Boxing Day, portion Brighton's lengthy winless tally continued successful frustrating manner a time later.

Match preview

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Villa were resoundingly beaten 3-0 distant to Newcastle United past clip out, but it was a crippled shrouded successful controversy, erstwhile Jhon Duran was sent disconnected successful the archetypal fractional for an alleged stamp connected Fabian Schar.

Unai Emery was captious of referee Anthony Taylor for not taking his clip implicit the decision, oregon adjacent having different look with VAR, connected an day wherever his Villa broadside were incapable to recover, and were comfortably enactment to the sword.

That was Villa's 5th successive Premier League distant defeat, with signifier astatine Villa Park the lone happening keeping them successful the hunt for the Champions League places.

A 2-0 nonaccomplishment to Arsenal successful August is the lone decision Villa person suffered astatine location successful 14 matches, and the past 3 person each ended successful victory.

It is besides uncommon for them to suffer back-to-back games successful the Premier League, considering it has lone happened erstwhile successful 18 months, and if they privation to adjacent the spread connected those supra them, they indispensable guarantee it does not hap here.

Villa are down successful ninth, but are conscionable 1 constituent disconnected Newcastle successful fifth, a presumption that could seal Champions League qualification depending connected the nation's coefficient astatine the extremity of the season.

Brighton are 1 spot further backmost successful 10th and volition anticipation for overmuch amended fortunes compared to the 6-1 thrashing they suffered present past play - inactive their joint-heaviest Premier League defeat.

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The Seagulls made amends by winning 1-0 successful the reverse successful May, ending a tally of 5 consecutive defeats successful this fixture, but caller signifier suggests they whitethorn conflict to repetition the feat.

Six games without a triumph is present their worst tally of signifier successful astir 3 years, and successful stark opposition to however good they started the run nether Fabian Hurzeler.

That streak was extended connected Friday erstwhile Brighton were held to a 0-0 draw by Brentford contempt registering 24 shots passim the 90 minutes.

Digging deeper shows that the show smacked of desperation though, arsenic Brighton lone managed to make 1 large chance, and an xG of conscionable 1.26, leaving them 2 points disconnected the clump of teams supra them, 1 of which is Villa.

With conscionable 4 wins successful their past 22 Premier League distant games though, nonaccomplishment to bash truthful again could spot Brighton driblet into the bottommost fractional heading into 2025, erstwhile they looked similar top-four candidates conscionable implicit a period ago.

Aston Villa Premier League form:

Aston Villa signifier (all competitions):

Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League form:

Team News

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Despite appealing against Duran's reddish paper against Newcastle, Villa were unsuccessful, truthful volition present beryllium without the Colombian for the adjacent 3 games, leaving the doorway unfastened for Ollie Watkins to return.

With conscionable 1 much crippled to spell until five-yellow-card tallies are nary longer punished, Matty Cash volition miss this crippled aft helium was cautioned astatine Newcastle.

There are nary shortage of options to regenerate him though, due to the fact that Emery whitethorn person a fully-fit squad if their lone absentee Jacob Ramsey is capable to retrieve from a hamstring contented successful clip for this one.

Brighton were capable to invited backmost Solly March aft 14 months retired with an ACL rupture successful the gully with Brentford connected Friday, meaning Hurzeler present has 5 susceptible options connected the right-wing.

Hurzeler is assured Ferdi Kadioglu and Jack Hinshelwood volition instrumentality imminently, portion Adam Webster is besides edging person to a comeback aft suffering a hamstring wounded backmost successful October.

We say: Aston Villa 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion

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