Premier League: A Mid-Table Clash with a Difference

Brentford vs Aston Villa

11^th hosts 10^th in a fascinating top flight tussle on Saturday when Premier League: Brentford vs Aston Villa is the entertainment on offer in West London.

The league table has an odd look about it. With ten games to play Liverpool are 13 points clear at the top, with Manchester City never in the race. At the opposite end of the table the relegation battle only has three contestants. 16^th placed Everton are 15 points clear and bottom club Southampton are 13 from safety; which leaves just Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the fight.

And it looks like Wolves could pull clear before too long.

So back to the mid-table; is there less at stake? Well no. Unai Emery’s Aston Villa are tenth but only one point behind seventh place, which brings a European spot; and five behind Manchester City in fourth. So there is plenty for the Villans to play for and, with a return of key players from injury, as well as a productive transfer window, Emery will target a top six lace at least. But what of Thomas Frank’s Brentford? Well, the Bees are only four points behind their visitors but a slide in form at home has seen them drift away from the European places; but they are still ahead of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotpsur and Frank will be desperate for his team to avoid a meaningless last two months of the campaign. Beat Villa and the Bees will feel they are still in the hunt, lose and they will have a mountain to climb.          

Brentford have had ten days off since they drew 1-1 at home to Everton in February, while Aston Villa recovered from a 4-1 loss away to Crystal Palace, beating Cardiff City in the FA Cup and then winning 3-1 away to Club Brugge in the Champions League.    

It’s a mid table clash but not as we know it!

Talking Points

Home is no longer so comfortable for Brentford

The pre-match Brentford vs Aston Villa betting odds pitch the Bees as favourites to win this match but the home fans will not be quite so optimistic having seen their team fail to register a home win in 2025. It’s a strange situation for a side which was superb at home before Christmas but couldn’t buy a win away. Frank’s men were close to grabbing a first home victory in seven when Yoanne Wissa scored his 13^th goal of the campaign against the Toffees but a late Jake O’Brien header extended that unwanted run at the Gtech Stadium.

The Bees have quickly improved their away form, winning all four of their 2025 matches on the road and the turnaround is nothing short of incredible. So Frank has some psychological work to do with his players before the Villans rock up in London!

Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo, who has 15 goals, will be the hosts’ biggest hopes for a win and there is good news elsewhere, with the Danish pair of club captain Christian Norgaard and midfielder Mathias Jensen nearing a return, possibly in time for Saturday.              

Villa battling on three fronts  

After finishing fourth in the Premier League last term Villa have found it hard at times to balance Champions League and domestic priorities but Emery and his men are making a good job of it. They are up against the likes of Fulham and Brighton and Hove Albion in the race for European places and, while it will be a hugely competitive race, the Villans are in as good a shape as anyone.    

They are into the FA Cup quarter finals and, after thriving at the Champions League new league format Villa picked up a nice draw against Belgian side Brugge in the Round of 16; and they made the most of it, winning 3-1 in the first leg in Belgium as January recruit Marco Asensio scored a late penalty. The PSG loan star has been in superb form, scoring twice already in the league and bagging a brace in Villa’s 2-0 FA Cup win over Cardiff City.

Alongside Ollie Watkins, who has 12 goals and Morgan Rogers who has scored seven, the Spaniard forms a front three with bags of pace and flair. And there is more good news for Emery. The Brugge match saw the return from injury of midfield ace Boubacar Kamara and centre back Pau Torres, who was an unused substitute, and Villa’s injury list has all but disappeared.        

History

The Bees are edging the head to head Brentford vs Aston Villa results with four wins to three and there have been seven draws in these encounters, though Emery’s team won 3-1 when they met in the Midlands just before Christmas.

The Villans are edging the form guide in recent results with three wins, two draws and one defeat while Brentford have won three, drawn one and lost two and, of course, the Bees haven’t won at home in seven attempts. 

Betting Tip

Brentford are at SBOTOP odds of 2.27 to win with the Draw at 3.31 and a Villa win is at 2.57, and one thing we can be sure of is an entertaining tussle. I’m siding with Emery’s team for this one because I believe they are much stronger now than when they beat the Bees in December, though Frank’s men can have a nasty sting.    

 

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