Unai Emery could oversee unwanted history-making moment in Aston Villa vs Brighton
Aston Villa face a big clash with Brighton on Wednesday as they look to get back to winning ways in the Premier League.
Aston Villa equalled a 111-year-old record on Boxing Day after winning 11 games in a row following their comeback victory at Chelsea.
Villa were Premier League title outsiders in January, but their chances of topping the pile are fading fast after picking up one point from their last two league games.
On Saturday, Villa were second-best but held on for a draw at Bournemouth; however, they will need to find some form at home to Brighton on Wednesday to close the gap to league leaders Arsenal.
Ahead of Villa’s clash with Fabian Hurzeler’s out-of-form Brighton, the Villa Park outfit have a chance to make history – but not in the way they would want.
History on the line for Unai Emery’s Aston Villa vs Brighton
Heading into this contest, Villa sit third in the table, nine points behind pacesetters Arsenal with 13 games to go.
Brighton, on the other hand are still looking over their shoulders at the bottom three after struggling for wins.
But for Emery and his side, unwanted history is on the line. According to Opta, Villa are looking to avoid becoming the first English top-flight team in history to lose three home games in a row, having won their previous eight (or more) beforehand.
Villa haven’t lost three in a row since November 2020 under Dean Smith, the third game of which was against Brighton.
However, the Villans have won seven of their last nine Premier League games against Brighton (one draw and one loss) and are looking to complete the double over them for the third time after 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Conversely, Brighton haven’t won any of their last five away Premier League matches (three draws and two losses) since a 2-0 win over Sean Dyche’s Nottingham Forest.
Moreover, the Sussex outfit have won just three of their 26 Premier League games played on a Wednesday (11 draws and 12 losses), the lowest win rate on this specific day of any of the current 20 sides in the competition (11.5 per cent).
Aston Villa have secret weapon to unleash on Brighton
Heading into this contest, this appears to be a good time to face Brighton. Their home fans are losing faith in head coach Hurzeler, with some booing their side after their 1-0 loss to rivals Crystal Palace on Sunday.
But, Villa have won just two of their last seven midweek Premier League games (two draws and three losses), though both of those victories were against Brighton (3-0 in April last season, 4-3 in December this season).
However, they have a secret weapon that has proven to be Brighton’s downfall time and time again over the years.
Indeed, England international Ollie Watkins has an excellent goalscoring record against Brighton over his 10 outings for Villa against them.
After the Brighton game, Villa return to FA Cup fourth round action on Saturday at home to Newcastle United. They then focus on Premier League matters on February 21 with a home clash with 16th-placed Leeds United.
If they win these fixtures, they could close the gap on second-placed Manchester City and top of the table Arsenal.
If not, their unlikely title bid could be over very quickly. Moreover, they may have to worry about being caught in the race for Champions League football.