Brentford v Aston Villa preview: Team news, lineups, betting odds, prediction
Aston Villa travel to London on Saturday in order to take on Thomas Frank’s Brentford in the Premier League.
Villa will arrive in Brentford in high spirits following Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Club Brugge, who they defeated 3-1 thanks to Brandon Mechele’s own goal and Marco Asensio’s penalty, which both came during the latter stages of the game.
Unai Emery’s side put themselves in the driving seat thanks to Leon Bailey’s sweetly struck volley after just three minutes, but Club Brugge struck back just moments later when Maxim De Cuyper’s fine finish got the better of Emiliano Martinez.
Villa supporters have revelled in the glory of consecutive wins in the FA Cup and the Champions League, but the attention of Emery and co must now turn back to their Premier League campaign, which resumes on Saturday.
Brentford vs Aston Villa preview
Villa have momentum following their exciting win in Belgium which has seen them place one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, only mid-table Championship side Preston stand between Villa and the FA Cup semi-finals, following their 2-0 victory over Cardiff.
| Aston Villa’s last four results | Competition | Result |
| Chelsea (H) | Premier League | 2-1 W |
| Crystal Palace (A) | Premier League | 4-1 L |
| Cardiff (H) | FA Cup | 2-0 W |
| Club Brugge (A) | Champions League | 1-3 W |
However, last time out in the Premier League, Emery’s side were hammered 4-1 by Crystal Palace, and they will be looking to right such wrongs with a win over Brentford this weekend.
Frank’s men meanwhile, head into their clash with Villa on strong form, following two wins from their last three games, including a 4-0 win at Leicester.
The last encounter between Villa and Brentford resulted in a 3-1 win for Emery’s man back in December, thanks to goals from Morgan Rogers and Matty Cash either side of an Ollie Watkins penalty.
Brentford vs Aston Villa team news
Villa’s win in Brugge witnessed a welcome return for defender Tyrone Mings, who had missed out on the previous victory over Cardiff, while Boubacar Kamara made his first appearance since being withdrawn from the action early on against Ipswich on 15 February.
Saturday’s trip to Brentford will likely come to soon for midfield duo Ross Barkley and Amadou Onana who are both nursing injuries.
Meanwhile, Brentford may have top cope without the services of full-back Rico Henry once again, as he has not featured since 14 January amid injury struggles.
Josh Dasilva remains a long term absentee for the Bees, while defender Sepp van den Berg suffered a knee injury during last month’s win over West Ham.
Predicted lineups
Brentford: Flekken, Lewis-Potter, Pinnock, Collins, Ajer, Yarmolyuk, Janelt, Mbeumo, Damsgaard, Schade, Wissa
Aston Villa: Martinez, Digne, Mings, Konsa, Cash, Tielemans, McGinn, Rashford, Rogers, Asensio, Watkins
Betting odds
Brentford: 5/4
Draw: 14/5
Aston Villa: 15/8
Prediction: Brentford 1-2 Aston Villa
Brentford are likely to cause Villa problems through the likes of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoanne Wissa, so a clean sheet could be beyond the capabilities of Emery’s men.
Brentford have been on strong form in the Premier League, claiming seven points from the last nine available to them, but Villa’s confidence levels will be very high following their Champions League triumph.
The increasing threat of new duo Rashford and Asensio for the men in claret and blue will prove tough for the Bees to deal with, while Rogers remains as dangerous as ever.