Aston Villa prepare to host Brentford at Villa Park this Saturday aiming to end a winless home run. Unai Emery's side, sitting 16th in the Premier League with four points from five games, face a Brentford team flying high in fourth place with 11 points, a gap of seven points between them in the standings.
The visitors arrive unbeaten in seven matches across all competitions and completed a league double over Villa last season. Villa's recent form has been mixed, with a 3-2 away win at Tottenham last month followed by a 3-1 friendly victory over Sevilla, but they have failed to win their last two league games at home, drawing 1-1 with Everton and losing 2-0 to Arsenal.
Defensive concerns
Villa's primary worry is their vulnerability in the air, which clashes directly with Brentford's greatest strength. Statistics from our stats page show Villa have won fewer aerial duels per game, just nine, than any other Premier League side this term. In contrast, Brentford lead the division with an average of 21.6 aerial duels won per match and also top the charts for expected goals from set-pieces. This weakness has contributed to Villa conceding 11 goals in their five league matches so far.
Team news
Both sides have significant absentees. Villa will be without goalkeeper Marco Bizot and defenders Pau Torres and Ian Maatsen due to injury, while midfielder Amadou Onana is out with a cruciate ligament tear. Brentford are missing Mathias Jensen, Nathan Collins and Sepp van den Berg. Villa will welcome back goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, who impressed in the win at Tottenham. For the latest updates, check our injuries page.
Emery has a difficult record against Brentford manager Keith Andrews, with one draw and two defeats from their three previous meetings. The manager pointed to the club's Europa League triumph last season as a sign of progress. "We played in a very serious way this year," Emery said. "This final is the confirmation of how we are progressing."
Brentford's defensive solidity has been key to their start, having conceded just four league goals, the joint-best record in the division. Key performers include Vitaly Janelt, who leads the league in interceptions with 27, and Kristoffer Ajer, a dominant presence in defence. Villa will hope forwards Johan Manzambi and Nicolas Jackson, who scored their first league goals for the club against Spurs, can provide a cutting edge. Jackson's goal came in the 87th minute, while Manzambi opened the scoring in the 34th minute of that match.
Looking ahead, Villa's next challenge after this is a trip to face West Ham United, as seen on the fixtures list. The match kicks off at 15:00 BST.
