Brighton & Hove Albion vs Aston Villa
Date: 13/02/2021
K/O: 20:00
Venue: AMEX Stadium
Referee: Darren England
TV: Sky Sports
Brighton host Aston Villa as two of this season’s most attractive sides clash at the AMEX Stadium.
This weekend’s fixture between Brighton and Aston Villa will be a battle between two very similar sides, who have had vastly different seasons. After what could be described as a ‘tale of missed opportunities’ throughout the first half of their season, Brighton are now starting to come into their own, recently picking up victories against Liverpool and Tottenham. On the other hand, Villa have been consistently impressive, frequently capitalising upon good performances to surpass their points total of last season already.
The Seagulls come into the tie as the side in better form, having won three of their last five games, drawing the other two. A midweek defeat to Leicester in the FA Cup is merely a blip on the record, as Graham Potter’s men have finally started to make good of their impressive performances and high XG scores, converting performances into victories.
Having long been a favourite of the football hipsters, Potter is starting to prove his worth on the South Coast. A divisive character, Potter’s somewhat unproven record and antithesis footballing philosophy to his managerial predecessor, Chris Houghton, who lead many on the south coast to call for his sacking when results failed to appear. However, as we have seen with some of the best-underrated Premier League managers, time is the answer, and that is what Potter has taken advantage of. Brighton are finally reaping the rewards of their impressive performances, and could easily pick up yet another victory this weekend.
Coming into the tie, Brighton’s style of football could cause issues for Villa. We have seen the Midland teams struggle against opposition who have a high intensity and fast-paced midfield, and this is something Brighton could capitalise on this weekend. A noticeable trait of Brighton’s recent performances is that they are all low scoring. With Villa’s solid defensive record, we could be in for another low scoring affair.
Potter’s managerial counterpart Dean Smith is a great example of how time is the best answer in football. Given the struggles Villa experienced last season, they are now flying high, pushing for a European position come May. A 1-0 win against Arsenal last weekend reflected this new Villa side’s resolute nature, with a fantastic defensive output and a slice of luck handing them three points and their 11th clean sheet of the season.
Smith’s side had their fair share of woes from the recent weekend, having suffered frustrating defeats to both Burnley and West Ham. As well as this, their victories against Southampton and Arsenal weren’t as straightforward as initially seemed, with fitness and rotation proving an issue throughout their last five games. The Villa faithful will be hoping that a week’s rest and recovery will put their side in good stead to press on towards the end of the season, and with two games in hand still to play, Villa will need to remain sharp if they are to keep their European dreams alive.
Coming into the tie, we can expect a similar lineup to the one repeatedly played throughout Villa’s busy early year period. With an impressive performance against Arsenal, Marvelous Nakama could be preferred to Brazilian international Douglas Luiz, as he may be the necessary component in breaking Brighton’s attacking flow. Villa’s success has come from their resilience in defence and will be as important as ever as they face one of the highest-scoring XG sides in the league.
Team News
Brighton
Adam Webster is a doubt following an ankle injury sustained against Burnley. Solly March, Tariq Lamptey and Alireza Jahanbakhsh are all out.
Aston Villa
Despite the long term absences of Wesley and Kourtney Hause, Smith should have a full squad available.
Predicted Starting XIs
Brighton (3-4-1-2): Sanches; White, Dunk, Burn; Veltman, Groß, Bissouma, Lallana; Mac Allister; Connolly, Maupay
Aston Villa (4-3-3): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Nakamba, McGinn, Barkley; Grealish, Watkins, Traore
Predicted Score: Brighton 1-1 Aston Villa
With both sides in good form, playing similar styles, this game could go either way. Villa’s away record is impressive, and they could hold out for a draw.
