Match Preview: Aston Villa v Brentford | OneFootball

Brentford visit Aston Villa on Wednesday in Gameweek 14 of the Premier League. The match kicks off at 8.15pm and will be broadcast live in the UK on Amazon Prime.

The Bees beat Leicester City 4-1 last time out, while Unai Emery’s Villa were defeated 3-0 by Chelsea.

This fixture produced six goals last season: Zanka, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa on target in a pulsating 3-3 draw in April.

Analysis, team news, match officials and more. Here's everything you need to know ahead of the west Londoners' latest Premier League test.

Pre-match Analysis

Richard Cole, Playmaker Stats: Brentford must keep close tabs on creative Tielemans

Brentford can continue their good form and finally get that first Premier League away win of the season should they extend Aston Villa's poor form this week.

An away victory against Unai Emery’s Champions League side would be the Bees’ first-ever win at Villa Park, but that's not to say that the West Midlands team are in any way a bogey team for Brentford.

In fact, Aston Villa have won just twice in the last 12 games between the two teams in a run that dates back to the 2016/17 Championship season.

Emery's team are winless in their last eight games (a run that includes five defeats) and have not earned a victory since defeating Bologna 2-0 in the Champions League way back in October.

Emiliano Martínez was culpable for some mistakes in Villa's 3-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge at the weekend, but may not return from injury with Robin Olsen coming on at half-time. The Swedish shot-stopper is likely to be between the sticks midweek as well.

Villa's stats this season make for some interesting reading. In total, the Villans have scored a relatively modest 19 goals (fewer than 22nd place Wolves), but closer inspection of their expected goals stats makes for interesting reading.

Villa have a negative xG difference of -6.19, which is the third worst in the Premier League behind only Southampton and Crystal Palace.

Paradoxically, Villa average 0.15xG per shot, which is the third highest in the league behind Liverpool and Brentford (with the Bees top on 0.16).

Those stats suggest that generally when Villa do have opportunities they are high quality ones, but their finishing has fallen below what is expected especially for a team that includes talents like Ollie Watkins.

Indeed, the former Brentford striker has six league goals so far and ranks fourth highest with xG per 90 (0.61). As a quick aside, Yoane Wissa is third in that list with 0.76 behind only Mohamed Salah (0.76) and Erling Haaland (0.93).

Perhaps then Villa simply need to create more – an easy thing to say especially when they face a stern Brentford defence next – with Emery's team averaging just four shots per game (only five teams average fewer).

However, Villa certainly possess creative talents and Youri Tielemans, in particular, is a player that Brentford will need to keep close tabs on.

Last weekend, the Belgian leapfrogged the Bees’ own Mikkel Damsgaard to the top of the Premier League leaderboard for through balls (11) and passes into the final third (107), while also ranking in the top 10 of the big five European leagues for those same stats.

Scout Report

Dan Long, Sky Sports: Villa aiming to resume top-four pursuit after winless run

The Villa Park faithful knew they had it good when Unai Emery transformed the club’s fortunes after replacing Steven Gerrard – but last season proved just how good they have got it with the Spaniard at the helm.

In 2022/23, Emery delivered a seventh-place finish and a place in the Conference League.

In 2023/24, he guided the club to a fourth-place finish – Villa’s best since 1995/96 – a Conference League semi-final and a place in the Champions League.

When they last played in Europe’s premier competition in 1982/83, it was still called the European Cup, and they were reigning champions.

Pep Guardiola scooped Manager of the Year for the fifth time in seven seasons, but Emery certainly gave him a run for his money.

It all started incredibly well this season. Emery’s side were back up in the familiar climes of the top four after four wins from their first five Premier League games, not to mention the fact they took the Champions League by storm with wins over Young Boys, Bayern Munich and Bologna – without conceding – which took them top of the league phase table.

A touch of stagnation has set in since then, which was perhaps to be expected at some point, given how highly they have performed in recent months.

They bowed out of the Carabao Cup against Crystal Palace at the end of October and have not won in five Premier League games, though the saving grace with that is that they remain within touching distance of the top four, owing to how congested things are at present.

It is now eight without a win in all competitions, but Emery does not seem too concerned right now. And why should he be? His side are right in the mix in both competitions they are currently contesting.

They have six more games to play this month, including a tough run against Nottingham Forest, Man City, Newcastle and Brighton.

If they can put this blip to bed sooner rather than later and attack that run in a similar fashion to the start of the season, another top-four push will certainly be on the cards.

In the Dugout

Unai Emery

Having taken charge of more than 1,000 matches over the last 20 years, Unai Emery is one of the most experienced managers currently working in the Premier League.

After a career as a midfielder, mostly playing in the second tier of Spanish football, Emery had a pretty quick transition into management, having suffered a serious knee injury in his early 30s.

He helped the now-defunct Lorca Deportiva to promotion in 2004/05 and got Almería into La Liga for the first time in 2006/07, before an incredible eighth-place finish the following campaign.

In 2008, his exploits saw him move on to Valencia, whom he guided to three straight third-place finishes from 2010 to 2012, before a forgettable six-month spell in Russia with Spartak Moscow.

He returned to Spain in January 2013 and guided Sevilla to three successive Europa League titles.

Two years and seven trophies with Paris Saint-Germain followed, with Emery then trusted by the Arsenal board to become the successor to Arsène Wenger, which was, to an extent, a poisoned chalice.

The Europa League king guided the Gunners to the final in 2019, where they were beaten by Chelsea in Baku, Azerbaijan, but he was unable to help them finish higher than fifth for the first time in four seasons.

He was sacked after 18 months in November 2019 and appointed by Villarreal in July 2020, with - you’ve guessed it - a fourth Europa League triumph following 10 months later, by way of a penalty shootout win over Manchester United in Gdansk, Poland.

The 53-year-old turned down an approach by Newcastle United in November 2021, but came back to England to replace Steven Gerrard at Villa Park in October 2022.

The Spaniard signed a new contract until the summer of 2027 in April, then another extension until the summer of 2029 in May.

The Gameplan

With Sky Sports’ Patrick Rowe

Patrick Rowe, football journalist at Sky Sports, explains how Unai Emery is likely to set up his side at Villa Park on Wednesday:

“Emery rarely strays away from his preferred 4-4-2 formation, but it is not as basic as it sounds,” Rowe told brentfordfc.com.

“There will usually be a creative player just behind Watkins up front; Rogers, John McGinn, Youri Tielemans and Leon Bailey have all been utilised in the role.

“However, given the recent run of form, do not be surprised to see a few tweaks to the system.

I personally would like to see Tielemans play there with a midfield duo of Boubacar Kamara - who is arguably Villa’s best player when fit - and Amadou Onana, if he is back from injury.”

Last Premier League starting XI v Chelsea (4-4-1-1): Martínez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Philogene, Kamara, Tielemans, McGinn; Rogers; Watkins

Team news

Brentford dealt Jensen blow

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank provided an update on Mathias Jensen in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

The midfielder was withdrawn during the west Londoners’ 4-1 victory over Leicester City.

“Mathias Jensen unfortunately got a minor hamstring injury,” Frank revealed.

“He will be out for Wednesday and he’s unlikely for Saturday [against Newcastle United]. More than that, I don’t know exactly.”

Kristoffer Ajer has missed the last five Premier League fixtures due to a foot injury – and the midweek visit to Villa Park will come too soon for the defender.

“Ajer is on the pitch,” said Frank. “He is progressing and trained with the team Sunday and today. But it is too early for tomorrow.”

Gustavo Nunes (back), Rico Henry (knee), Aaron Hickey (hamstring) and Josh Dasilva (knee) remain sidelined.

Frank admitted that forward Kevin Schade “did everything he could do” to retain his place in Brentford’s starting XI after scoring three and assisting another in Saturday’s win against the Foxes.

Match Officials

Smith set to referee third Brentford game this season

Referee: Lewis Smith

Assistants: Simon Bennett and Daniel Robathan

Fourth official: Anthony Taylor

VAR: Nick Hopton

Lewis Smith will be the man in the middle on Wednesday evening.

Smith refereed Brentford’s victories over Leyton Orient and Ipswich Town earlier this season.

The 30-year-old made his Premier League debut earlier this year, becoming the youngest person to take charge of a match in the competition last term.

Smith has had the whistle for 20 Premier League and EFL games this season, issuing 78 yellow cards and three reds.

He also took charge of some matches in Japan in March, in an exchange programme with the J-League.

Last Meeting

Aston Villa 3 Brentford 3 (Premier League, 6 April 2024)

Brentford and Aston Villa played out a pulsating 3-3 draw at Villa Park.

The Bees trailed by two goals shortly after half-time but produced a stunning nine-minute turnaround to flip the game on its head and take a 3-2 lead before Ollie Watkins’ second of the game meant the spoils were shared.

Goals from Zanka, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa had cancelled out Watkins’ first-half header and Morgan Rogers’ strike one minute after the restart.

But former Bee Watkins headed home another as the sides had to settle for a point apiece in the Midlands.