Aston Villa vs Brentford tips and predictions: Leaky Bees made to wait for relegation reprieve

Aston Villa were outclassed by champions Man City on Wednesday which allowed Tottenham to cut the gap to fourth to one point.

They’re still sitting pretty and almost guaranteed a top-five finish but they have a host of tough tests coming their way before the season’s end.

Despite some positive performances, Thomas Frank’s Bees seem to have lost their sting and could be stumbling towards a slow and painful death. 

Draws won’t be enough and regardless of the professional jargon you’ll hear, Frank must have one eye on upcoming meetings with Sheffield United, Luton and Everton.

The Villans have produced convincing back-to-back wins at home, first beating Ajax 4-0 in the Europa League before toppling Wolves 2-0 in the Premier League.

 

Suggested bet: Ollie Watkins to score

 

They had moments at the Etihad but were undone by sublime goals, while key contributors Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins were absent from the starting XI.

We expect them to be fresh and focused this weekend and there’s a host of reasons why they should prevail, including Brentford’s record of nine defeats in 10 away games.

No Premier League side has missed more big chances than Brentford (59) this season which has exacerbated the fact only four teams have conceded more goals.

Ivan Toney's return hasn't alleviated the pressure while he re-adjusts to playing after a long absence, but he has netted four in 12, leaving him three shy of top scorer Yoane Wissa, who has seven.

Notably, shipping early goals has been an issue too. They’ve fallen behind inside 45 minutes to eight of their last 15 opponents, six of whom scored inside 20 minutes.

Unai Emery’s side have won all 10 matches they’ve led at half-time and plundered 16 first-half goals while allowing just five.

 

Team news

Boubacar Kamara, Emi Buendia, Tyrone Mings, Matty Cash and Jacob Ramsey are unavailable due to injury.

Emi Martinez may have shaken off a virus to glove up while John McGinn will return from suspension.

Ollie Watkins was absent from the defeat against Man City while Leon Bailey dropped to the bench, but both could be unleashed at the weekend.

Josh Dasilva, Rico Henry, Ben Mee, Aaron Hickey, Kevin Schade are ruled out, while Ethan Pinnock and Christian Norgaard will be assessed but look doubtful.

 

Key stats

-  Aston Villa have scored 16 goals in the first half of home matches
-  Aston Villa have a perfect 10-0 home record when leading at halftime
-  Aston Villa scored twice in 15 minutes to win the reverse fixture 2-1
-  Brentford have lost nine of their previous 10 away matches
-  Brentford have missed more big chances (59) than any other team

 

Suggested bets

Time of first goal: Under 30 minutes

Aston Villa Half-Time Full-Time

Over 3.5 goals