Aston Villa vs Brentford Prediction
🔊 Aston Villa have struggled for consistency in the Premier League, yet they have capitalized on slip-ups by the leaders. After Matchday 23, the Birmingham side have narrowed the gap to the top to just four points. This Sunday, Brentford will visit Villa Park, having recently enjoyed an impressive unbeaten run, though they are now coming off two consecutive defeats. Can the Bees put up a fight against the Lions, and will the midweek Europa League match affect the hosts' form? Our editorial team will address these questions in our prediction.
Head-to-Head
📊 Brentford have always been a tough opponent for Aston Villa, dating back to their Championship days. Their modern rivalry kicked off when the Bees joined the Premier League in the 2021/22 season. Since then, the teams have faced each other 10 times, including a recent clash in the English League Cup. Aston Villa hold a slight edge with four victories compared to Brentford's three, while three encounters ended in draws.
H2H Stats Matches and Previous Teams Results
Aston Villa Team Overview
At the end of November last year, Aston Villa surged into the top three of the Premier League and have remained there ever since. During this stretch, the Lions have suffered only two defeats, and their recent away triumph over Newcastle (2-0) allowed them to capitalize on a slip-up by league leaders Arsenal, closing the gap to just four points.
Unai Emery's side have been even more impressive in their manager's favored competition, the Europa League. Last Thursday marked the final round of Europe's second-tier club tournament, where the Birmingham side hosted Salzburg. The hosts dominated possession (64% to 36%), but repeatedly faced dangerous counterattacks from the visitors and found themselves two goals down by the 49th minute. A remarkable comeback began in the 64th minute and concluded by the 87th, with the final score reading 3-2.
Match Results: Aston Villa
Brentford Team Overview
Not long ago, Brentford climbed into the Premier League's top five, thanks to a five-match unbeaten run where they only slipped up with a draw. However, the "Bees" managed to stay in the European competition zone for just a week. In their last two outings, they suffered defeats with an aggregate score of 0-4 and dropped to 8th place, trailing the top five by four points.
Despite the scorelines in the previous two rounds, Keith Andrews' side can't be accused of lacking ideas. Against both Chelsea and Nottingham Forest, the "Bees" held their ground in terms of possession and xG, even outperforming the latter in both areas. Nevertheless, Brentford fell short in both matches with identical 0-2 losses.
Match Results: Brentford
Latest news
Aston Villa
🎙 Aston Villa's head coach Unai Emery might take the helm at Real Madrid. The Spaniard is set to be the leading candidate if the Madrid club decides to part ways with Álvaro Arbeloa at the end of the season. According to reports, talks have already taken place with the English club's manager to assess his readiness for the role.
❌ Recently, Aston Villa have lost several key players from their roster: Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn, and Youri Tielemans. In their latest Europa League fixture, Ollie Watkins had to be substituted in the 35th minute. The forward's condition is currently being evaluated by the medical team.
Brentford
🎙 Brentford's head coach expressed his disappointment with his team's performance against Nottingham Forest. "Honestly, we could have played better. We needed to be more composed and ruthless when creating scoring opportunities. The level of play was quite high, and while we didn't hit our peak, we did enough to capitalize on the game. At times, I felt we were a bit lethargic," shared Keith Andrews.
❌ The defeat in the last round against Nottingham was significantly influenced by the early substitutions of two key players: Mikkel Damsgaard and Kristoffer Ajer. According to the coach, the injuries are not too serious, but their participation in Sunday's match is doubtful. Additionally, three players remain sidelined with ACL injuries-Josh Dasilva, Antoni Milambo, and Fabio Carvalho.
🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards
The main referee for the match is Tim Robinson. His average number of yellow cards in the last 20 Premier League matches is 4.4. Head-to-head clashes between former Championship sides in their modern Premier League history have always been intense. For instance, in 7 out of the last 10 encounters, there were at least four bookings. Considering the current standings, with both teams aiming to either secure their position or break into the European spots, the tension promises to be sky-high. Our prediction: total yellow cards over 3.5.
⚽️ Goal Prediction
In exactly half of the ten meetings between these teams since 2021, the total has exceeded 2.5 goals. While this isn't overwhelmingly impressive, we have every reason to believe it could happen again. Despite Brentford not scoring in their last two matches, their xG is impressive, averaging 1.54. Aston Villa's usually reliable defense took a hit against a modest, by Premier League standards, Salzburg in the Europa League. The Birmingham side exerted considerable effort to come back, so they might struggle to contain all of the visitors' attacks. Under these circumstances, we anticipate total goals over 2.5.
🚩 Corner Prediction
Week after week, bookmakers offer high lines on modest corner values for Brentford. It's about time to recognize that the London team, under former set-piece coach Keith Andrews, is one of the most creative in this aspect among Premier League clubs. Yes, creativity doesn't always equate to productivity, but that's not the case with the "Bees." Their average number of corners in 11 away matches is the highest in the league at 6.36. We suggest that Brentford's total corners over 3.5 is the most likely outcome.
Editorial Prediction
Aston Villa are the clear favorites for the upcoming clash. Home advantage, a higher league position, and the recent form of the visitors all favor the Birmingham side. However, Brentford are no pushovers. Not long ago, Keith Andrews' squad was in the hunt for European spots and are eager to reclaim points they arguably didn't deserve to lose based on their performances. Moreover, Villa might be somewhat disorganized following their spirited comeback in the Europa League. It's premature to predict a victory for the Bees, especially considering Unai Emery's magic, but betting on both teams to score (yes) seems reasonable. We'll give a slight edge to the hosts for their consistency throughout the season, predicting a narrow win (2-1).
Betting Tips: Aston Villa - Brentford
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Comparison of Teams Stats
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