Brighton v Aston Villa Match Build-Up: Will Heavy Turnover Impact Villa?
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Aston Villa head south to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton on the first Sunday of the Premier League season.
Aston Villa have lost several key players this summer, with the likes of Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, and Lucas Digne all leaving, with rumours of Emi Martinez, Ezri Konsa, and Ollie Watkins following shortly.
It looks to be another solid season for Fabian Hurzeler, with Brighton being a well-run club with several business dealings of their own.
Match Build-Up
Two clubs with real European pedigree kick off their seasons against each other at the Amex on Sunday as Brighton face Aston Villa.
Europa League champions Aston Villa kick off their season with plenty of questions amid key departures over the summer.
Morgan Rogers left for Chelsea in a club-record £117m sale, Youri Tielemans joined Man United, and Ezri Konsa's move to Arsenal is edging towards completion, leaving Villa short at centre-back on the eve of the new season. Emi Martinez has been offered to other clubs, and recent reports claim Ollie Watkins is in favour of a proposed move to Saudi Arabia.
Arrivals are promising, but it is somewhat of a scattergun approach.
Johan Manzambi arrives from Freiburg for £59.5m, Joao Gomes adds more muscle in midfield after his move from relegated Wolves, and Zion Suzuki has joined as a new goalkeeping option for £30m, even as Emi Martinez remains at the club following Juventus's decision to abandon their pursuit.
Brighton themselves are fending off interest for their key players.
Carlos Baleba and Yankuba Minteh have both attracted interest from Man United and Liverpool respectively, with both unavailable for Sunday's clash due to injury.
Hurzeler has strengthened at the back in the meantime, bringing in Luka Vuskovic in a club-record £50m deal from Spurs, along with Pascal Struijk, Michael Svoboda and Costinha, while Solly March, Joel Veltman and James Milner departed at the end of last season.
View our expert Brighton v Aston Villa Betting Tips & Bet Builder Predictions.
Brighton v Aston Villa Cheat Sheet
Key Talking Points
Can Brighton's attack cope without three key players?
Losing Baleba, Minteh and Mitoma all at once for the opener is a big blow to a Brighton side who have excelled with a direct style of play.
The Seagulls have had three clean sheets in a row in pre-season, so defensive morale will be high even if they are a bit light up front.
How exposed is Villa's rebuilt defence?
With Ezri Konsa's imminent move to Arsenal following Lucas Digne's return to PSG, Unai Emery goes into the season with a defence that looks a lot thinner than the one that won last year's Europa League.
Matteo Ruggeri has arrived from Atletico Madrid, but there is a gap at centre-back that hasn't yet been fully addressed.
There is also uncertainty as to who starts in goal. Zion Suzuki appears to be the new number one, but Emi Martinez's future is still uncertain after his collapsed move to Juventus.
Does history at the Amex favour Villa again?
Villa have won four of their last five visits to the Amex, including a 4-3 thriller last season after going 2-0 down.
They have only lost once in the seven league trips to the Amex, which is somewhat of an anomaly considering how strong Brighton usually are at home.
With both sides navigating major squad changes, this record could carry psychological weight, especially if the game is tight in the closing stages.
Team News & Lineups
Brighton are without Pascal Struijk, Evan Ferguson, Matt O'Riley, Yakuba Minteh, Carlos Baleba, Kaoru Mitoma, and Stefanos Tzimas through injury.
For Villa, they are without Brian Madjo, Joao Gomes, Leon Bailey, Amadou Onana, and Johan Manzambi through injury.
Predicted Lineups
Brighton: Verbruggen; Wieffer, Vuskovic, Boscagli, Kadioglu; Gómez, Groß, Ayari, De Cuyper; Hinshelwood; Rutter
Aston Villa: Bizot; Nedeljkovic, Mings, Lindelöf, Bogarde; Barkley, Hemmings; Rowe, Lynch, Alysson; Abraham
Where To Go Next
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