Aston Villa news

England are being advised to drop Jude Bellingham from their starting XI at the 2026 World Cup, with the Real Madrid superstar being informed that Aston Villa playmaker Morgan Rogers currently has “more of an influence” on games. Thomas Tuchel has warned all of those at his disposal that no places in his plans for a shot at global glory next summer are guaranteed.

Things are really heating up in the run-up to Christmas across Europe's top leagues, with Inter reclaiming top spot in Serie A, Lens surprisingly leading the way in Ligue 1 and Barcelona continuing to pile pressure on Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid. Over in Germany, though, it seems that nobody is really capable of dethroning Bayern Munich, but Premier League leaders Arsenal are looking more and more nervous with each passing week.

Anderlecht’s teenage sensation Nathan De Cat has spoken publicly about growing Premier League interest from Tottenham and Aston Villa, insisting he has “no intention” of leaving in January despite major clubs tracking his rise. With the 17-year-old already valued at over €20 million (£17.5m/$23m) and viewed as one of Europe’s elite young midfielders, speculation continues to mount.

Check out our soccer expert’s FC Basel vs Aston Villa predictions, prior to Thursday’s 3:00pm ET Europa League clash (12/11).

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery made a stark transfer admission about out-of-favour Liverpool loanee Harvey Elliott as the January transfer window looms. Elliott was sent out on loan to the Villans in the last window after the Reds bought Florian Wirtz, breaking the British transfer record. His journey, however, has not gone as planned as he has struggled for minutes at Villa Park.

West Ham have reportedly signalled their willingness to sanction the permanent departure of struggling striker Niclas Fullkrug, but a potential return to the Bundesliga withWolfsburg has hit a significant snag due to administrative delays involving incoming sporting director Pirmin Schwegler and the German international's substantial salary package. The delay will have rival clubs across Europe on alert to the situation.

While the draw for the 2026 World Cup took centre-stage on Friday, all eyes were back on club football over the weekend as title races across Europe took yet more twists. The gap at the top of the Premier League has been reduced, which is in contrast to La Liga, where Barcelona stretched their lead over Real Madrid.

Emi Buendia struck with the last kick of the game to earn Aston Villa a 2-1 win against Arsenal and condemn Mikel Arteta's Premier League leaders to a first defeat in 19 games in all competitions. It looked like the Gunners had battled back to claim a hard-earned point when Leandro Trossard came off the bench to cancel out Matty Cash's first-half opener, but substitute Buendia was on hand to fire in a dramatic winner in the final seconds of stoppage time to move Villa to within three points of the top of the table.

Check out our soccer expert’s Aston Villa vs Arsenal predictions, prior to Saturday’s 7:30am ET Premier League clash (12/06).

Scotland discovered their World Cup 2026 group opposition after the draw took place in Washington DC, but only after an infernally long pre-draw build-up that left many of those watching fuming. One of those frustrated by the long videos, interviews with stars, including US President Donald Trump, was Scotland star John McGinn, who summed-up everyone's frustrations in one simple, but hilarious image.

Mikel Arteta remained tight-lipped on Declan Rice's fitness after the Arsenal midfielder hobbled off during the midweek win over Brentford. The Gunners are fighting several fitness issues ahead of their trip to Villa Park this weekend, and the Spaniard refused to give any firm assurances when pressed on an update on the midfielder.

Galatasaray have escalated their protest over Jhon Duran’s controversial celebration in Sunday’s heated Istanbul derby against Fenerbahce by filing a criminal complaint with the Anadolu Courthouse. The two giants shared the spoils following a 1-1 draw in the 14th matchday of the Turkish Super Lig.

How to watch the Premier League match between Brighton and Aston Villa, as well as kick-off time and team news.