Aston Villa have lost two of their last nine matches across all competitions. Interestingly, both of those defeats came on home turf. Everton ended an eleven-game winning streak at Villa Park with a 1-0 win, and Brentford repeated that feat in Villa’s next home game. 

In between those games, The Villains did manage to secure three points against RB Salzburg to close out their Europa League group phase on a high, but even still, they conceded twice. In fairness, Unai Emery has had to contend without key players in recent weeks, particularly in midfield. Amadou Onana has missed a few matches with injury, while Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara remain unavailable for this match against Brighton. 

Because of that, Villa haven’t been able to exert as much control on games as they would’ve liked, and they have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last six home games. 

There was plenty to talk about when these sides last met, as it finished 4-3 at the Amex back in December. There really could have been more goals, too, as the two goalkeepers combined to make ten saves. Brighton were able to carve out plenty of chances, registering 16 shots and three big chances worth 2.21 xG. Seven of their 17 shots hit the target. 

Andy Madley, who is usually so reserved with his cards, dished out four in total, with two yellows awarded to either team. The Seagulls have seen a notable increase in cards when playing away this season - they are averaging 3.3 cards per game on their travels in the Premier League. 

This selection has landed in 10 out of 12 games overall, and they could struggle to contain Villa once again, given that they are drawing 2.25 cards per game at Villa Park this season.

Georginio Rutter was absent when these sides last met due to injury, allowing Brajan Gruda to start in an advanced midfield spot instead. The German international committed two fouls and was fouled twice, landing this selection comfortably before being replaced after 77 minutes. Rutter looks set to reclaim his starting position here, and he should find duels against Douglas Luiz, Onana, and Morgan Rogers in midfield. 

Rutter likes to have the ball at his feet and will often look to beat his marker. Against an aggressive Villa midfield, there is high potential for him to draw fouls. The Frenchman is averaging 1.68 fouls drawn per 90 this season across all competitions. 

In addition to that, Rutter is averaging 1.57 fouls per 90, rising to 1.64 when playing away. That means he is averaging 3.32 fouls involvements per 90 this season when playing away, with good prospects in both markets.

Aston Villa were left frustrated in their last home outing, as Brentford were able to hold on to a slender one-goal lead, despite being reduced to ten men.

Kevin Schade received a first-half red card, but the Bees opened the scoring just a couple of minutes later. It was one-way traffic for the entire second period, but the Villains were somehow unable to find the back of the net. 

Matty Cash racked up four shots in that game. Given the gamestate, he was able to operate in much more advanced positions than usual, but three of his efforts came from the edge of the box.

The Polish international is averaging 1.01 shots per 90 in the Premier League this season, and the vast majority of those tend to come from range. In fact, 15 of his 22 shots in the league have come from outside the box.