Only two points separate Brighton in fifth and Aston Villa in fourth in the Premier League, with the two direct neighbors in the table battling it out at the Amex Stadium for valuable points in the race for Champions League places. On Wednesday evening, Brighton will have home advantage on their side, which adds extra excitement to the game.
Brighton go into this game with a lot of confidence, their recent 2-0 away win at Nottingham Forest being their fourth league win in their last five games. Coach Fabian Hürzeler has noticeably stabilized the team after some initial fluctuations, and Brighton are particularly convincing at home, even if the 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa in April is likely still fresh in the minds of many fans.
Brighton form & record check
I have received your German text about Brighton’s form, the course of the game, and the personnel situation, and I can offer you various options for how I can support you, such as a short, concise summary in one paragraph, a highlight post for Twitter or Instagram, a complete translation into English, a stylistically revised version in German, a tactical or statistical analysis of the patterns described between a quiet first half and a high-scoring second half, or a fact check with corrections to scores, data, and wording. If you do not specify a particular option, I will create a short summary in German by default.
Brighton is expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation again, with coach Fabian Hürzeler still without Kaoru Mitoma, who is out with a foot injury. Up front, Petros Tzimas could once again lead the line after his goal against Nottingham Forest, with Samuel Minteh, Simon Rutter, and Andi Gruda providing attacking pressure behind him. Carlos Wieffer and Valentín Gómez are expected to start in central midfield, while experienced defenders Lewis Dunk and Zeno van Hecke should provide stability at the back.
Aston Villa Form & Record Check
Aston Villa are in strong form, sitting fourth in the Premier League with 24 points, level on points with Chelsea. Their recent run has been impressive, with five consecutive wins in all competitions, including four wins in their last five league games. The 1-0 derby win against Wolverhampton, decided by a long-range shot from Kamara, was a good example of this.
A striking tactical feature is the high number of goals scored from distance. Nine of the 16 Premier League goals were scored from outside the penalty area, more than any other club and historically unusual for this point in the season. Unai Emery emphasizes that this tactic is specifically trained, but at the same time, the heavy reliance on long-range shots makes the offense somewhat predictable. The home strength at Villa Park remains a clear advantage, with seven consecutive home wins and a European Cup home record of 13 wins from 15 games since summer 2023. The 2-1 win against Young Boys with two goals from Malen underlined this dominance, even if riots by the visiting fans overshadowed the game. However, the situation is not entirely problem-free. Ollie Watkins is in a slump, with only one goal in 19 competitive games, and has been on the bench twice in a row recently. Malen has currently taken his place in the starting lineup and justified the trust placed in him with his goals. How Unai Emery will resolve the personnel issue in attack and find a long-term solution for Watkins remains a key topic for the coming weeks.
Brighton – Aston Villa Head-to-Head & Statistics
Aston Villa has the slightly better record in the last five head-to-head matches with three wins, one draw, and only one defeat. Brighton won the last match in May 2024 by a narrow 1-0 margin, but otherwise the Villans have mostly had the upper hand. The most recent encounter in April 2025 ended soberingly for the Seagulls with a 3-0 defeat in front of their home crowd and without any significant share of the game. In December 2024, they at least managed a 2-2 draw, which was considered a minor success for Brighton.
From Brighton’s perspective, the 6-1 defeat at Aston Villa in 2023 remains particularly painful, a result that is deeply engraved in the club’s memory and still shapes the character of this rivalry. Statistically, the encounters have rarely been low on goals, with more than 2.5 goals scored in four of the last five games and both teams scoring in four games, so a high-scoring match is likely, even if Brighton first has to find a way to consistently break through Aston Villa’s defense.
