Aston Villa vs Brighton and Hove Albion. Sky Bet Championship.
Villa ParkAttendance32,856.
Friday 5 May 2017 17:46, UK
Jonathan Kodjia will miss Aston Villa's final Sky Bet Championship game of the season as Steve Bruce's side take on title-challengers Brighton.
The Seagulls will clinch the title if they match or better Newcastle's result at home to Barnsley.
Kodjia suffered a broken ankle in the 1-0 defeat against Blackburn last weekend and will now visit a specialist in Europe this week to determine the extent of the injury. Mile Jedinak is also a doubt as the Australia international has been battling a niggling groin problem.
Sam Baldock is set to return to the Brighton squad for their championship decider. The 11-goal striker has missed the last seven matches of Albion's promotion run-in with a glute injury but is now fit again.
Shane Duffy will miss out again with a fractured metatarsal and fellow defender Connor Goldson remains sidelined after surgery to correct a heart condition.
Opta stats
Aston Villa have never lost against Brighton at Villa Park in any competition (W8 D2), winning the most recent meeting 3-2 in the FA Cup in January 2010.
The Seagulls have won only one of their last 11 league games against the Villans (D4 L6), a 1-0 victory in the top-flight in December 1980.
Steve Bruce has never lost a home match against Brighton (W3 D1) in all competitions, with all four games coming as Hull boss between 2012 and 2016.
Conversely, since winning his first match against Villa as Newcastle boss in August 2010 - a 6-0 hammering - Chris Hughton hasn't ended on the winning side in any of his last six (D2 L4) in all competitions.
Prutton's prediction
It's been a strange few weeks for Brighton since sealing promotion. Their main aim was achieved superbly but they have laboured somewhat since then.
Being away from home might help them a little bit. It was a wonderful atmosphere at the Amex against Bristol City but sometimes that leads to stage-fright.
I'm tipping them to squeak past Villa and seal the title. What a campaign.
DAVID PRUTTON PREDICTS: 0-1 (Sky Bet odds: 6/1)
