Table of Contents
Brentford FC vs. Aston Villa
On the first weekend of the new year, La Liga, among others, resumes play, while the Premier League has not taken a break at all. In the tight match schedule, it’s been one hit after the other around the holidays, and now the 21st matchday is already on the agenda. Brentford FC and Aston Villa will meet on Sunday at 15:00 in a duel between two teams from the mid-table. Our prediction for this match can be found in the following Brentford vs Aston Villa tip.
The newly promoted Brentford team has done well in its return to the Premier League so far. In 18 games, the Bees have collected 20 points and are thus in 14th place, the distance to the first relegation place is currently nine points. Aston Villa, with 22 points from 18 games, are two places higher up the table and closer to international football than the relegation zone.
Brentford – Aston Villa info
– Date & Time: 02/01/2021, 15:00.
– Venue: Brentford Community Stadium
– Competition: Premier League, Matchday 21
– TV coverage: Live on Sky Sport
Brentford Form & Balance Check
Brentford FC presented themselves as the strongest of the three newcomers in the first leg. The directly promoted Norwich and Watford are both in the middle of a relegation battle, while Brentford, as play-off winners, are relatively comfortable in a semi-secure midfield position. In addition, the Bees have repeatedly shown themselves to be a shock to the favourites, for example in the win against Arsenal on the first matchday or the later 3:3 against Liverpool. The promoted team also sold themselves dearly in the narrow 1-0 defeats to Chelsea and, most recently, Manchester City.
Tough patch for the Bees
The recent record doesn’t look too rosy, though. Brentford have lost all of their last three games, failing to score a single goal. Even though they have faced strong opponents like Chelsea and Man City, zero points from three games hurts. Last Wednesday, the Bees once again put up a brave fight against the superior Citizens, but still came away empty-handed. Phil Foden scored the goal of the day to secure another three points for the league leaders.
Brentford facts & analysis
– 14th in the PL
– Last lost 0:1 against Man City
– 3 defeats in a row, not scoring a single goal
Aston Villa Form & Balance Check
Aston Villa have already been through a lot this season. In November, the eleventh-placed team of the previous season slipped to 16th after five defeats in a row, and the club management pulled the ripcord without further ado and sacked fan favourite Dean Smith. His successor was none other than Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, whose tenure has got off to a thoroughly successful start. He picked up four wins and three defeats from his first seven games, although the latter came against the strong top trio of Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea.
Nothing to get against Chelsea
Now they face Brentford, another opponent from a different region of the table, which has suited the Villans under Gerrard so far. Last Sunday, however, there was a contrasting programme in the duel with Chelsea. Aston Villa took a 1-0 lead through a Reece James own goal, but the Blues turned the game around through Lukaku and a penalty double from Jorginho. In the end, Thomas Tuchel’s team took home a 3-1 win from Birmingham. Villa, however, had at least an extended break in the aftermath as their game against Leeds United, originally scheduled for Tuesday, was called off due to corona.
Aston Villa facts & analysis
– 12th place in the PL
– Last lost 1:3 against Chelsea
– Won 4 of 7 games under Gerrard, all 3 losses against top 3 teams
Predicted line-up – last update on 30 December 2021
Brentford coach Thomas Frank continues to operate in his usual 3-5-2. He has been missing the important regular players Nörgaard, Janelt, Henry and Mbeumo. Rasmussen and Ghoddos are other starting options. The Villans were recently without head coach Steven Gerrard due to a Corona infection, and he is likely to be replaced by Gary MacAllister. He will have to change the starting back four, with Tuanzebe and Hause as replacements for the yellow-carded Mings. Traore, El Ghazi and Chukwuemeka are other alternatives for the starting eleven.
Brentford – Aston Villa direct comparison & stats
The first leg between Brentford and Aston Villa was the first Premier League clash between the two clubs since the 1940s. In total, there have been 13 meetings between the Bees and the Villans, of which Brentford have won three. Aston Villa have won five and drawn five. The first leg was a 1-1 draw.
– Both teams lost their last match.
– A look at Brentford FC: Ivan Toney is the top scorer with 4 goals. 5 times Ollie Watkins scored for Aston Villa.
– The average number of goals scored in a Brentford FC vs Aston Villa clash is 2.
– The average number of goals scored in the first half in matches between Brentford FC and Aston Villa is 1.2.
– The first leg ended in a draw. (1-1)
