Brentford vs Aston Villa tips and predictions: Back Brentford to defy bookies' dismissive odds
Brentford manager Thomas Frank
Brentford look a good bet against the odds to take at least a point off of Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday (1400 GMT).
Brentford’s disappointing defeat against Sheffield United extended their current poor form to one win in five in the Premier League.
That run of results may be skewing perception as they prepare to face high-flying Aston Villa as the Bees are still competitive at home.
Their sole home loss during that run was a 1-0 defeat against Arsenal. Since the start of last season, only Arsenal, Newcastle and Everton have won at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Unai Emery’s visitors are unbeaten in eight across all competitions and could potentially go top with a win, but that doesn’t tell the full story.
Five of those matches, all wins, were at Villa Park. On their travels, the Villans have failed to win six of 10 and five of eight in the Premier League.
They fell behind in six of those matches but showed good powers of recovery, albeit against injury-stricken Tottenham and 10-man Chelsea.
It’s worth noting that even in defeat, Brentford are creating as many big chances as their opponents on home soil.
No fewer than five injuries in defence have limited their ability to keep teams out at the other end, and Villa have no problem scoring goals.
Only two teams have bettered the visitor's average of 2.20 goals per game, while Thomas Frank’s team are producing a similar number at home.
Villa played a reasonably strong team in midweek and they’ll be without Lucas Digne and Douglas Luiz on Sunday, so it could be anyone’s game.
Team news
Rico Henry, Aaron Hickey, Kristoffer Ajer, Kevin Schade, Bryan Mbeumo and Ivan Toney are unavailable.
Nathan Collins, Mathias Jensen and Josh Da Silva are closing in on a return. The Republic of Ireland defender could be fit to feature this weekend.
Emi Buenida, Tyrone Mings and Bertrand Traore are ruled out due to injury, while Lucas Digne and Douglas Luiz are suspended.
Key stats
- Brentford have lost to three teams at the Gtech Stadium since the start of last season
- Brentford are unbeaten in five meetings at home, winning four
- Aston Villa are allowing an average of 1.87 goals per game on their travels
- The home side are unbeaten in 10 meetings in this fixture
