Brentford welcome Unai Emery’s Aston Villa to the Brentford Community Stadium this weekend, where they will look to end their poor run of form. The Villans have only beat the Bees once in their last ten meetings, failing to win away to them in the last five fixtures.
Brentford
Despite being in 11th place after 16 matches, Thomas Frank’s Brentford have struggled massively at times this season, with their light squad being tested. The recent long-term injury to Bryan Mbeumo is the latest kick in the teeth for the Bees.
Brentford have performed to a relatively decent standard considering they’ve been missing Ivan Toney, netting 1.44 goals per game on average. However, they’ve also conceded 1.38 per game.
Last time out, Brentford lost their fourth in the last five matches. They were defeated 1-0 on the road by bottom of the table, Sheffield United. Frank's team struggled to threaten with 60% of the ball.
Aston Villa
Back-to-back 1-0 victories in the same week against Manchester City and Arsenal is some achievement for any team, especially Aston Villa. Emery has turned the club into one of the most feared teams in the Premier League, and after 16 games, they’re in third place, two points behind Liverpool in first.
Villa has been incredible at both ends of the field, working as one unit to achieve success. This is evidenced by them boasting the third highest goals per game average, 2.19, and the fourth lowest goals conceded per game average, 1.25.
Last time out in the Premier League, Villa picked up that monumental win over Arsenal. John McGinn scored an early goal, and they successfully held onto the lead with brave defending.
Verdict?
Momentum and form are often key in football, with a bad run difficult to break out of. Unfortunately for Brentford, they are likely to suffer another defeat this weekend. However, Villa have performed worse on the road than they have at home. The visitors at 6/5 to win looks great value.
The final prediction is Brentford 0-2 Aston Villa.
