Aston Villa vs Brighton injury and suspension latest as 10 players could miss out
Aston Villa are aiming to bounce back to winning ways when they take on Brighton at Villa Park on Wednesday.
Villa drew 1-1 with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday as they were dealt another blow to their outside title hopes.
Despite Morgan Rogers’ opening goal, Lucas Digne’s poor defending for Villa allowed for Rayan to equalise in the second half, meaning they now sit nine points behind league leaders Arsenal.
Having lost their last two games at Villa Park, Unai Emery’s side can’t afford to falter against a Brighton side that has won just one of their previous 12 league matches.
However, the Spaniard has to deal with a long list of absentees in his squad, which is also the case for Brighton.
Five Aston Villa players set to miss out vs Brighton
Amadou Onana has been crucial for Villa in recent weeks, particularly given their midfield injury issues.
Boubacar Kamara is injured for the rest of the season, while Youri Tielemans is out of action until mid-April.
John McGinn has also been ruled out until April, and it has proved to be a crushing blow for Villa’s title aspirations.
Although Andres Garcia has also been on the sidelines for some time, the most surprising news comes through the absence of Alysson.
The Brazilian winger had returned to first-team training before the Bournemouth game, although he is not close to being fit enough to make his debut in an Aston Villa shirt against the Seagulls.
| Aston Villa’s injuries | Brighton’s injuries |
| Boubacar Kamara (out) | Stefanos Tzimas (out) |
| Alysson (out) | Adam Webster (out) |
| Youri Tielemans (out) | Solly March (out) |
| John McGinn (out) | Yasin Ayari (out) |
| Andres Garcia (out) | Mats Wieffer (out) |
| Jan Paul van Hecke (doubt) |
As for Brighton, Adam Webster, Solly March, Stefanos Tzimas, Mats Wieffer and Yasin Ayari are all long-term absentees, meaning 10 players look set to miss out in total at Villa Park.
Injury expert Ben Dinnery has also reported that centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke has just a 25 per cent chance of playing.
- Read more: Alan Shearer shuts down ‘incredible’ Morgan Rogers debate as Gary Lineker asks new question
Morgan Rogers can extend his fantastic record vs Brighton
The good news for Emery is that he still has some of his best players available, including Rogers.
The England international has been involved in four goals in his last three against Brighton in the Premier League.
With four goals in his previous five home games for Villa in all competitions, it’s clear that he is a force to be reckoned with in B6.
Brighton fans are starting to turn on head coach Fabian Hurzeler, and the match has come at a perfect time for Villa.
After the losses to Brentford and Everton, plus the draw at Bournemouth, Emery’s side shouldn’t have too many issues with breaking the Seagulls down.
But if they require a moment of magic in the game, then Rogers will undoubtedly be the man to step up.