Our betting expert shares his predictions for this league match. Brentford have been flying high and look good value to get a result at Villa Park.
Aston Villa vs Brentford Betting Predictions
All odds courtesy of SkyBet - correct at time of publishing and subject to change
Bees to sting first
Brentford should be full of confidence heading to Villa Park, and they’re likely to score first. The Bees have been fairly quick starters this season, with 67% of their goals away from home coming in the first half. On the other side, they conceded 67% of their goals on the road in the second period.
Brentford scored first in each of their five league matches so far. It’s a fine record and well above the league average. They also scored the first goal in four of their last five home Premier League matches against Villa.
Villa haven’t started their recent matches particularly well. Emery’s men opened the scoring in only one of their five Premier League matches so far this season. Meanwhile, they allowed the opposition to score first in 60% of all their matches, and 100% of the time at Villa Park. This bet looks value at just below evens.
- Aston Villa vs Brentford Betting Tip 1: First team to score - Brentford @ 10/11 with SkyBet
Jackson ready to strike
Emery will likely rely on an attacking unit comprising John McGinn, Johan Manzambi, Emiliano Buendia, and Nicolas Jackson. The latter three scored their first Premier League goals against Spurs, which makes either of them an ideal pick to score here. However, a safe option is to back the man who will lead the line.
Despite not scoring many goals since his move from Chelsea, Jackson has delivered some impressive performances for his new side. The forward featured for Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. He scored one goal and assisted once in those two matches.
He’s scored three goals in his last five starts for club and country. The Senegalese forward has scored two goals in four personal head-to-heads against Brentford. As a result, we’re leaning towards him finding the back of the net on Saturday.
- Aston Villa vs Brentford Betting Tip 2: Anytime goalscorer - Nicolas Jackson @ 7/4 with SkyBet
A tight affair at Villa Park
Villa fans will be hoping for more of the same after their 3-2 win away to Tottenham. However, a win against a side that’s fighting relegation doesn’t carry much weight. They’re welcoming a team currently in the top four of the Premier League.
Brentford’s early form shouldn’t be underestimated, especially with their five-game unbeaten run. The issue for Andrews’ men is that they’ve struggled to close off games and secure the result. Three of their last five league matches ended all square, which is a major possibility at Villa Park.
The Bees are also unbeaten against the Villains across the last three head-to-heads. Last season’s corresponding fixture saw the visitors win 1-0. However, when they met in the EFL Cup last term, it finished 1-1 inside regulation time.
- Aston Villa vs Brentford Betting Tip 3: 1x2 - Draw @ 12/5 with SkyBet
Our analysis: Form of both teams
- Score prediction: Aston Villa 1-1 Brentford
- Goalscorers prediction: Aston Villa: Nicolas Jackson - Brentford: Igor Thiago
Much like last year, Aston Villa have made another slow start to the season. They have struggled in the early weeks of the campaign and needed four Premier League games to find their first goal. Their only league win of the season came against Tottenham on Matchday 5.
As poor as it’s been, Villa are actually better off now than they were at this stage last season. They have one more point and have already secured a league win, having failed to do so in their opening five matches last term. The three-week international break gave Emery time to reassess his squad, and he’ll hope this weekend marks the true start of their campaign.
The international break came at a bad time for a Brentford side in form. Keith Andrews’ team went into the break on the back of an impressive 3-0 home win over Chelsea. That result kept the Bees unbeaten in their first five league games of the campaign and put them in the top four.
Brentford had already lost three league games by this stage last season. The London outfit are five points better off than last term. They'll want this momentum to continue after missing out on European qualification last season.
Probable lineups for Aston Villa vs Brentford
Aston Villa expected lineup: Suzuki, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Mings, Ruggeri, Kamara, Gomes, McGinn, Manzambi, Buendia, Jackson
Brentford expected lineup: Kelleher, Kayode, Schuster, Ajer, Lewis-Potter, Yarmolyuk, Janelt, Anthony, Damsgaard, Schade, Thiago