[Albion] Aston Villa vs Brighton & Hove Albion *** Official Match Thread ***

[Dick Head]

Aston Villa v Albion

PREMIER LEAGUE

Venue: Villa Park
Date: Saturday 21st November 2020
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Referee: Michael Oliver
Assistants: Stuart Burt, Simon Bennett
Fourth Official: Darren England
VAR: Chris Kavanah
Additional VAR: Dan Cook
​

TEAM NEWS

Aston Villa winger Bertrand Traore made his comeback from a groin strain on Monday when he played for Burkina Faso.

Kortney Hause could also be fit but fellow defenders Bjorn Engels and Frederic Guilbert remain out with respective thigh and side injuries.

Brighton captain Lewis Dunk has served a three-match ban and will start.

Aaron Connolly and Solly March are back in contention but there are doubts over Leandro Trossard, who has had a muscle injury, and the ill Davy Propper.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• 
  [*=left]Villa are unbeaten at home to Brighton in all competitions, winning nine games and drawing the other three.
  [*=left]The Seagulls are winless in eight league meetings since a 1-0 home triumph in December 1980 (D4, L4).
  [*=left]Brighton have only once scored more than one goal against Villa in any of their 20 league encounters. That came in a 2-1 home victory in the third tier in 1972.

Aston Villa

• 
  [*=left]Villa have won five of their opening seven Premier League fixtures for only the second time. In 1998-99, they extended that run to six wins from eight matches.
  [*=left]The Villans have won three Premier League games this season by at least a three-goal margin, as many as they had in their previous four top-flight campaigns combined.
  [*=left]However, Aston Villa have suffered consecutive home league defeats.
  [*=left]Dean Smith has only made three changes to his starting XI in the Premier League this season and used 18 players. Both are the lowest tallies in the division.
  [*=left]Ollie Watkins has scored six goals in seven Premier League games. Dion Dublin, with nine goals, and Dean Saunders, with seven, are the only players to have scored more in their first seven appearances for Villa in the division.
  [*=left]Jack Grealish has scored in each of his past four appearances against Brighton in all competitions, including in all three meetings last season.League.

Albion

• 
  [*=left]Brighton's tally of six points is their lowest after eight matches of a league campaign since 2002-03, when they were eventually relegated from the second tier.
  [*=left]The Seagulls are winless in six Premier League matches since beating Newcastle 3-0 away in September (D3, L3).
  [*=left]Albion could set a club record of scoring in eight successive top-flight away matches.
  [*=left]They can keep consecutive league clean sheets for the first time since a run of three in October 2018 under Chris Hughton.
  [*=left]The 106 fouls Brighton have conceded this season is the most in the Premier League prior to the weekend. Aston Villa have earned the most free-kicks in the division.
  [*=left]Pascal Gross is one match short of becoming the fourth player to make 100 Premier League appearances for Brighton.
  [*=left]Lewis Dunk celebrates his 29th birthday on the day of this fixture.

 

[Dick Head]

Graham Potter's Aston Villa Press Conference

 

[Dick Head]

soccerstreams100(dot)tv
soccerstreams(dot)net

 

[5ways]

Thank God football is back.

 

[OzMike]

Going to a comedy night at the club later, hope I don't return to find another comedy in progress.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

0-2 to the good guys, with praise for the Albion masked by the over analysis of why JG isn’t world class


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[Perfidious Albion]

I want to predict an Albion win but the way we played lately and their form tells me to expect a hard game. If we come home with a point we’ll have done well, but still

 

[Hamilton]

Were Loose!

 

[Icy Gull]

Worried. Jack Grealish is possibly the best player in the league on current form and he ALWAYS scores against us

Hopefully three games in a week is too much for him to shine today. Has been the standout player pretty well every time we play them

I’ll be happy with a point before a ball is kicked

 

[BBassic]

My optimism glass is definitely half empty.

Predict another toothless "didn't they play well" performance.

 

[Seasider78]

They offer a lot going forwards but think Wellbeck will get off the Mark today 1-1

 

[Steve in Japan]

Hope triumphs again! A lockdown wet Saturday with an Albion game is infinitely better than one without.

0-2 to the good guys, but our victory is overshadowed by Grealish being sent off for simulation.

 

[Beach Hut]

So excited

 

[Guinness Boy]

Everyone's going to struggle with Grealish this season. Villa are much better than last season's version by the looks of things and, as much as PLB going down was FUNNY it probably would have been easier this season if it had been Villa down the trapdoor. That said I don't fancy them much at the back. Mings is horrendously overrated.

A lot could hinge on the first goal. If we can score first and early like we did at Newcastle then I really fancy us. If Sock Boy or Watkins get in first for them, as they well could, then we're looking at another winless afternoon.

 

[Solid at the back]

3-0 Villa, going to be a depressing day I think

 

[portlock seagull]

Predict not only will we lose. But heavily. Can we just list the excuses now?
Grealish is best player in world currently
They thrashed Liverpool
Var is a joke
We had 89% possession
We had 423 shots, and one was also on target
Their keeper was world class
On another day, we’d have scored those 3 penalties
Where did the ref get those extra 10mins of time from?
We played well after conceding those two early goals
Dunk is a marked man and the ref should never sent him off

What else have I missed out?!

 

[Weststander]

Predict not only will we lose. But heavily. Can we just list the excuses now?
Grealish is best player in world currently
They thrashed Liverpool
Var is a joke
We had 89% possession
We had 423 shots, and one was also on target
Their keeper was world class
On another day, we’d have scored those 3 penalties
Where did the ref get those extra 10mins of time from?
We played well after conceding those two early goals
Dunk is a marked man and the ref should never sent him off

What else have I missed out?!

“We were a joy to watch from minutes 10 to 45, exquisite passing in that period, football is so cruel”.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Predict not only will we lose. But heavily. Can we just list the excuses now?
Grealish is best player in world currently
They thrashed Liverpool
Var is a joke
We had 89% possession
We had 423 shots, and one was also on target
Their keeper was world class
On another day, we’d have scored those 3 penalties
Where did the ref get those extra 10mins of time from?
We played well after conceding those two early goals
Dunk is a marked man and the ref should never sent him off

What else have I missed out?!

Our performance was much better than the result suggests. We'll go and take the positives from this afternoon.

 

[Happy Exile]

Feeling optimistic this morning that this will be the game that kick-starts something. Maybe a clean sheet and a Welbeck goal, winning scrappily in a way that inspires picking up another dozen points by the end of the year. (So will probably lose 4-1 and be bottom of the table by Christmas.)

 

[Lethargic]

Going to a comedy night at the club later, hope I don't return to find another comedy in progress.

What is this "going out" you speak of?

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