Aston Villa vs Brentford: Premier League preview, team news, stats, prediction, kick-off time
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins may be fit to face Brentford; Bees defender Ethan Pinnock will feature; follow Aston Villa vs Brentford in our dedicated live match blog; watch free match highlights on Sky Sports digital platforms and YouTube channel at 5.15pm
Friday 27 August 2021 13:27, UK
Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Aston Villa vs Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday; kick-off 3pm.
Team news
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins could be fit to face his former club Brentford.
Watkins, who moved to Villa Park from the Bees in a club-record deal in September 2020, has been managing a bruised knee and has yet to play this season.
Villa boss Dean Smith, who also includes Saturday's opponents among his old employers, thinks the game will come too soon for Leon Bailey (hamstring) and Bertrand Traore (hamstring). Keinan Davis and Morgan Sanson (knee) remain out. Wesley might be left out of the squad, with the Brazilian striker set for a loan move in the coming days.
Brentford defender Ethan Pinnock is fit despite limping off with an ankle knock against Forest Green this week.
Mathias Jensen and Shandon Baptiste are close to recovering from injuries and will be assessed.
Josh DaSilva and Mads Bech Sorensen will miss out through injury.
How to follow
Follow Aston Villa vs Brentford in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel at 5.15pm.
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Last time out...
Prediction: Jones Knows writes...
Despite Villa's 2-0 win over Newcastle last weekend, I'm still not convinced Dean Smith has got his team anywhere near the standards he demands. There remains a Jack Grealish hangover in forward areas. Villa aren't creating enough. In their two fixtures, despite scoring four goals, their expected goals non-penalty figure is just 1.16 - the second lowest in the Premier League. That backs up the statistic that Villa have scored with all four of their shots on target this season. That's obviously unsustainable.
And, Brentford won't fear this trip to Villa Park. They were unlucky not to take maximum points at Crystal Palace as their early season momentum and complete faith in the way Thomas Frank is instructing them to play should carry them to more points over the next few months. Their unbeaten run is now at 14 league games, stretching over two seasons.
Backing Brentford to win or draw at 5/6 with Sky Bet is a solid play but I like the play to oppose goals with both teams struggling to create quality chances. Keep it simple and back under 2.5 goals at Evens.
SCORE PREDICTION: 0-1
BETTING ANGLE: Back under 2.5 goals at Evens with Sky Bet
Opta stats
- Aston Villa have never lost a top-flight match against Brentford (W5 D1), with this the first such meeting between the sides since February 1947 (Brentford 0-2 Aston Villa).
- Brentford are unbeaten in their last six league meetings with Aston Villa (W3 D3, all in the Championship between 2016-2019). However, all three games at Villa Park in that run finished level, with the Bees never winning away against the Villans in all competitions (D5 L2).
- Aston Villa haven't lost their first Premier League meeting with an opponent since August 2008, going down 3-2 at Stoke. The Villans have won five and drawn two of their seven such games since.
- Aston Villa have scored two goals in each of their last five Premier League games. They last scored 2+ goals in more consecutive top-flight matches in October/November 1980 (7), in their last title winning campaign.
- Brentford are yet to concede a goal in the Premier League this season, with only two newly promoted sides keeping clean sheets in their first three games of a season: Charlton Athletic in 1998-99 and Huddersfield Town in 2017-18.
- Aston Villa have scored four goals from just four shots on target in the Premier League this season, the only side with a 100% such record in the competition so far.
- Aston Villa's Emiliano Buendía has been involved in a goal in all three of his league appearances against Brentford (2 goals, 1 assist), all with Norwich between 2018 and 2021. He was involved in 100% of the goals the Canaries scored against the Bees in games he played against them.
- Danny Ings has scored in his first two Premier League matches for Aston Villa, finding the net against Watford and Newcastle. The last Villa player to score in their first three league matches of a season was Dalian Atkinson in 1992-93.
- Since the start of last season, only Ederson (20) and Édouard Mendy (18) have kept more Premier League clean sheets among goalkeepers than Aston Villa's Emiliano Martínez (16). The Argentine has kept a clean sheet in 40% of his Premier League appearances for the Villans (16/40), the best rate of any keeper with more than 10 starts for the club in the competition.
- Aston Villa manager Dean Smith took charge of Brentford for 143 games between 2015 and 2018 - he lost his only previous meeting with the Bees after leaving them, going down 1-0 at Griffin Park in February 2019 in the Championship.
Essential Football Podcast: Jamie Redknapp on Liverpool vs Chelsea and Harry Kane's golf skills! | Plus: Man Utd on the brink of a record
Liverpool and Chelsea go head-to-head at Anfield live on Sky Sports on Saturday night and Jamie Redknapp joins Peter Smith on the Essential Football Podcast to preview the big clash between two Premier League title hopefuls.
PART 1: It's Virgil van Dijk vs Romelu Lukaku at Anfield this weekend - but who will come out on top? Jamie Redknapp gives his verdict. Plus, the Sky Sports pundit reflects on Harry Kane staying at Spurs - and reveals what the striker is like on the golf course!
PART 2: Sky Sports Football journalist Charlotte Marsh takes a look at a new role for Adama Traore for a Wolves side who have managed 42 shots but 0 goals in their first two Premier League games, and we dissect Man Utd's remarkable run of results away from home.
PART 3: We preview Leeds' trip to Burnley and Data Editor Adam Smith names the statistically best-performing English players across Europe from the opening rounds - with several surprise names in the side!
