At A Glance
Villa Park will rise as one to greet the dawning of a new era when Steven Gerrard emerges from the tunnel ahead of kick-off to take charge of his first match as Head Coach of Aston Villa.
A wave of fresh optimism has swept over the club since the former England international was appointed to the role last week, with fans eagerly anticipating the visit of Brighton.
Gerrard’s immediate task will be to arrest a mini slump that has seen the club slip down the table on the back of five straight defeats.
Brighton, who are looking to end a winless run that spans seven games in all competitions, begin the weekend seven points and nine places better off than Villa.
Graham Potter’s team have fond memories of their previous trip to B6, taking all three points thanks to Solly March’s stunner last season.
The Seagulls have lost only twice in 11 league matches this term and are yet to taste defeat on their travels in the top flight.
Standout Stats
Since winning their first Premier League game against Brighton in October 2019, Aston Villa are winless in three against the Seagulls (D2 L1) and haven’t led for a single minute in any of those games.
In all competitions, Brighton have only won one of their last 12 matches against Aston Villa (D5 L6), a 2-1 away win last season in the Premier League, their first-ever away win over Villa.
Seven of the eight Premier League goals scored in this fixture have been scored by Englishmen (87.5%), the highest percentage of English scorers in any current Premier League fixture to have seen at least five goals in the competition. The exception was a goal from the Belgian Leandro Trossard in January 2020.
Aston Villa have lost each of their last five Premier League games, their longest losing run since a streak of 11 in the 2015/16 campaign. Overall, it’s Aston Villa’s sixth run of at least five consecutive defeats in the Premier League, with only four sides having more (Bolton, Crystal Palace, Fulham and Southampton – all 7).
Brighton are winless in six Premier League games, though five of these have ended level (L1). Away from home, the Seagulls are one of three teams still unbeaten in the Premier League this term (W2 D3), along with Chelsea and West Ham United.
Aston Villa have had more goalless draws than any other side in Premier League history (104). Meanwhile, no side has had a higher share of their Premier League games finish 0-0 than Brighton (12% - 19/163).
Steven Gerrard will be the 13th different permanent manager to take charge of Aston Villa in the Premier League. Only two of the previous 12 have won their first such game for the club (D6 L4), with John Gregory beating Liverpool (Feb 1998) and Gérard Houllier beating Wolves (Sep 2010).
Brighton’s Danny Welbeck has scored five Premier League goals against Aston Villa, his most against any opponent. He has scored in each of his last four league starts against Villa, with his last four such goals all coming at Villa Park.
Brighton’s Leandro Trossard is looking to score in three consecutive Premier League games for the first time. The Belgian has already netted as many away league goals this season (2) as he did in his first two Premier League campaigns combined.
The Last Meeting
Aston Villa were fortunate to leave the Amex Stadium with a point on a bitterly cold night at Amex Stadium back in February.
The hosts registered 26 shots to Villa’s four, but they failed to beat an inspired Emi Martínez and break down the visitors’ battling defensive effort.
Martinez claimed his 12th Premier League clean sheet of the campaign as he thwarted the dominant Seagulls with some fine saves.
Team News
Steven Gerrard believes the game will come too soon for Douglas Luiz, while Morgan Sanson and Trezeguet remain out.
Ezri Konsa is available for selection again after serving a one-game suspension.
Brighton will be without Enock Mwepu, Steven Alzate and Danny Welbeck.
Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez is suspended but Seagulls head coach Potter has Aaron Connolly available again.
The Boss
"It's been a whirlwind. It's been great to get on the grass, we’ve had internationals away, I'm looking forward to meeting them this afternoon. We will play different to what's been before, my own stamp on things, my own identity and philosophy. That will take time so you will see changes at the weekend, we are very much looking forward to the game. We have a big 48 hours ahead. In a normal world you have 5-6 weeks in pre-season, we don't have that luxury but we can be prepared for the challenge. It will be tough but we will look forward to the challenge."
Steven Gerrard
