Aston Villa steamrollered Brighton 6-1 when the pair last met in the Midlands, with the Claret and Blue Army winning 12 of their 16 home games against the Seagulls, including each of the last three; Brighton have only ever won once at Villa Park, this coming behind-closed-doors in 2020.
Aston Villa vs Brighton & Hove Albion Preview
These two clubs have European aspirations, but both will be looking to get back to winning ways on Monday night. Aston Villa endured a rather miserable Boxing Day, demolished 3-0 by Newcastle, conceding inside 100 seconds before Jhon Durán was sent off for violent conduct at St James' Park, a set-back they were never able to recover from. Unai Emery's team have now lost five successive Premier League away games, Villa's longest such streak since May 2016, albeit they have won three on the spin in front of their own supporters, most-recently beating beleaguered champions Man City. So, with the Claret and Blue Army currently down in ninth, they'll be hoping a return to Villa Park will signal a return to winning ways.
Two points below Villa is where one will find Brighton & Hove Albion, who make the 157-mile journey north without a win in six. On Friday night, the Seagulls were held to a goalless draw by injury-ravaged Brentford in Sussex, the hosts unable to find the breakthrough, but the major talking points was the fact João Pedro was extremely lucky not to have been sent off for an attempted elbow in Yarmolyuk's face.
12 games into this season, Fabian Hürzeler's side had collected six wins and only suffered two defeats; the Seagulls' subsequent six outings have seen them fail to win any of them, adding only four points to their tally, sliding from fourth down to mid-table obscurity. Brighton haven't failed to win seven successive Premier League games since February-March 2022 but, given their aforementioned miserable record at Villa Park, that fact could be about to change.
Aston Villa vs Brighton & Hove Albion Head-to-Head Record
- Matches Played: 33.
- Aston Villa Wins: 18. Draws: 8. Brighton & Hove Albion Wins: 6.
Aston Villa Team News
Villa lost their appeal against Jhon Durán's red card, meaning he'll be suspended here, as well as for clashes with Leicester and then West Ham to start 2025. Thus, Ollie Watkins will return to lead the line, after three successive matches on the bench, due to Durán's red-hot form. Meantime, Matty Cash was shown his fifth caution of the campaign on Tyneside, so is suspended, meaning Ezri Konsa will fill-in at right-back, with Diego Carlos coming in at centre-back. Morgan Rogers is one booking away from a ban himself; the threshold raises to ten after this fixture.
Aston Villa predicted lineup vs Brighton & Hove Albion: (4-2-2-2): Martínez; Konsa, Diego Carlos, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Onana, Tielemans, McGinn; Rogers, Watkins.
Aston Villa Player to Watch vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Ollie Watkins will be looking to add to his seven goals so far this season, while he has scored six times in his last five appearances against Brighton, the joint-most he's netted against any single club in his career, including a hat-trick in the corresponding fixture last September.
Brighton & Hove Albion Team News
Fabian Hürzeler is still without Ferdi Kadıoğlu, Adam Webster, Jack Hinshelwood, James Milner and Danny Welbeck, but Solly March did come off the bench for a brief cameo on Friday night, his first appearance for 433-days due to a serious knee injury. Meanwhile, Julio Enciso started for the first time all season against Brentford, while Matt O'Riley also came into midfield, but Yankuba Minteh, Simon Adingra and Georginio Rutter will all be hoping to return to the team this time. Having evaded a sending off three nights ago, João Pedro is free to play, while centre-back duo Lewis Dunk and Jan Paul van Hecke would miss Saturday's visit from Arsenal if cautioned.
Brighton & Hove Albion predicted lineup vs Aston Villa: (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Veltman, Dunk, van Hecke, Estupiñán; Baleba, O'Riley, Minteh, Rutter, Mitoma; João Pedro.
Brighton & Hove Albion Player to Watch vs Aston Villa
Kaoru Mitoma has three goals to his name this season, currently without a goal in five, so can he end this sequence at Villa Park?
Aston Villa vs Brighton & Hove Albion Prediction
We're forecasting an Aston Villa victory on Monday night. The Claret and Blue Army continue to be strong at home, winning seven of 12 home games across the Premier League and Champions League, unbeaten in 11, while Brighton cannot find a win at the moment, so we can't see the Seagulls departing the Midlands with anything: Aston Villa 3-1 Brighton & Hove Albion.
Aston Villa vs Brighton & Hove Albion FAQs - Premier League
How to watch Aston Villa vs Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League game on TV channel?
Aston Villa vs Brighton Premier League game will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: This match is not being broadcast live in the UK.
- USA: Peacock
- Canada: Fubo Sports Network 4 Canada
How to watch Aston Villa vs Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League game on live streaming?
Aston Villa vs Brighton & Hove Albion Premier League game will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: This match is not being broadcast live in the UK.
- USA: Peacock
- Canada: fuboTV Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Aston Villa vs Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League?
Aston Villa vs Brighton & Hove Albion takes place on Monday 30 December 2024, with kick off at 19:45 (GMT), 14:15 (EDT) & 11:45 (PST).