The Matchday 19 Premier League clash between Aston Villa and Brighton will take place on December 30 at Villa Park in Birmingham. Aston Villa vs. Brighton: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Craig Pawson (England)
Matches – 10 (Premier League, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 41;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.1;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 23;
Penalties – 20%.
Predicted lineups for Aston Villa vs. Brighton
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Emiliano Martinez – Lucas Digne, Pau Torres, Ezri Konsa, Matty Cash – Youri Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara – Morgan Rogers, John McGinn, Amadou Onana – Jhon Duran.
Brighton (4-2-3-1): Bart Verbruggen – Lewis Dunk, Jan Paul van Hecke, Joel Veltman, Pervis Estupinan – Carlos Baleba, Matt O'Riley – Kaoru Mitoma, Brian Gruda, Julio Enciso – Joao Pedro Jesus.
Each team's starting lineup from their last match in this tournament is listed.
Aston Villa
The Birmingham side has slipped to 9th place in the standings and now trails the top four by 7 points. In the previous round, the team suffered a heavy 0-3 defeat away to Newcastle. This was Unai Emery's side's third major loss of the current championship, all of which occurred away from home.
Defender Matty Cash and forward Jhon Duran will miss the match due to suspensions.
- At least three goals have been scored in 6 of Aston Villa's last 7 Premier League games.
- Both teams scored in 10 of the club's last 13 home matches in the league.
- The Birmingham side has not won the second half in six consecutive Premier League matches (2 draws and 4 losses).
Brighton
Fabian Hurzeler's side is one step below the Birmingham side and trails them by two points. The team settled for draws in the last two rounds – against West Ham (1-1) and Brentford (0-0). Brighton has not tasted victory in six consecutive Premier League matches (4 draws and 2 losses). The club hasn't had such a winless streak in the league since April this year.
- The number "1" appeared in the final score in 7 of the club's last 9 Premier League games.
- Both teams scored in 9 of Brighton's last 10 Premier League matches.
- The club has not won the second 45 minutes in seven previous away matches in the league (4 draws and 3 losses).
Aston Villa vs. Brighton: Match Prediction
The Birmingham side should take advantage of the visitors' poor form, who have gone six consecutive matches without a win in the Premier League. The team has mainly dropped points against opponents from the lower half of the table, including draws with Leicester and Southampton. Brighton has clearly lost focus and struggles away from home, winning only 4 of their last 22 away Premier League matches (8 draws and 10 losses).
Aston Villa has suffered only one defeat at Villa Park this season – against Arsenal in the second round – and has since gone unbeaten, securing 5 wins and 3 draws. The loss to the Gunners is also the only defeat in their last 14 home Premier League matches. Notably, the Birmingham side has beaten Brighton in 5 of their last 6 Premier League encounters.
My prediction – Victory for Aston Villa
