How Joao Gomes can stand up to biggest Aston Villa test yet vs Brentford

Joao Gomes has certainly had an up-and-down start to life at Aston Villa.

The Brazilian came in from Wolves early in the summer window and made an immediate positive impression.

His showings in pre-season certainly whet the appetite and left fans excited for what was to come.

That all came crashing down to earth in violent fashion when the 25-year-old was sent off in a 4-0 debut defeat to Brighton.

Things couldn't truly get worse from there, and thankfully they haven't.

Gomes still needs to prove himself at Villa Park and could have the perfect opportunity against Brentford.

Who's one of Brentford's biggest threats?

The Bees certainly have their fair share of quality players.

Igor Thiago is famed for his goalscoring exploits, while Mikkel Damsgaard and Kevin Schade have become Premier League assets.

The combination of stalwarts with experience and fresh faces on bargain deals have become their base from which to grow.

The latter point has seen Mamadou Sangare come in from Lens and hit the ground running.

He bagged an assist on his debut against Tottenham and has looked like a dynamic midfield threat ever since.

The 24-year-old last started for Brentford against Bournemouth and proved his quality by completing the most dribbles on the pitch with three.

He covered 12km throughout the 90 while putting up 13 defensive actions and winning 11 duels.

The Mali international has superb quality in both directions, something that Gomes simply must deal with at Villa Park.

Joao Gomes must stop Mamadou Sangare for Aston Villa's sake

Gomes has come in and immediately established a reputation as the man to put out fires before they even start.

That has seen him clock up 13.85 defensive actions per 90 this season in the Premier League.

His tally includes 6.23 tackles and 2.08 interceptions, with his 9.69 duel wins also proving his quality.

It is those numbers that need to be maintained to help keep Brentford, and Sangare in particular, quiet in B6.

If the Brazilian can do that, it will give the Villans a platform to grow from to potentially seal all three points.