Brighton & Hove Albion will be eager to return to winning ways, while Aston Villa will aim to continue the five-match winning run when they face off at the Amex Stadium on Wednesday.

Gameweek 30 of the 2024/25 Premier League season continues on Wednesday, which will feature six matches. The action on the day will start with five simultaneous games, including Brighton & Hove Albion vs Aston Villa at the Amex Stadium.

Brighton & Hove Albion have built their campaign on momentum, making their form count whenever they have been on top of their game but faltering in successive outings when they have lost that touch.

While the Seagulls have bowed out of the FA Cup, they have not lost in regulation time in eight outings, turning their fortunes around since the 7-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in February. That run has taken Fabian Hurzeler and his charges to seventh in the Premier League standings, only two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

On the other hand, Aston Villa’s form has also improved in the last few weeks, with the Villans on a five-match winning run. Despite blowing hot and cold throughout the 2024/25 season, Unai Emery’s men have a reasonably promising chance of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League. Meanwhile, they have a Champions League date with Paris Saint-Germain to look forward to next week.

The reverse fixture saw Brighton & Hove Albion take an early lead before coming from a goal down to hold Aston Villa to a 2-2 draw. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Brighton & Hove Albion

Fabian Hurzeler has new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Brighton & Hove Albion manager will be bereft of the services of as many as ten first-team players vs Aston Villa on Wednesday.

Adam Webster (hamstring) and Georginio Rutter picked up potential season-ending injuries in the FA Cup clash with Nottingham Forest this past weekend. The duo has joined Jason Steele (shoulder), Joel Veltman (foot), Ferdi Kadioglu (ankle), Igor Julio (thigh), Tariq Lamptey (ankle), James Milner (hamstring), Solly March (knock), and Mats Wieffer (muscle) on the sidelines.

Bart Verbruggen will take his spot between the sticks, with Brighton & Hove Albion lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Aston Villa on Wednesday. The backline should feature Jack Hinshelwood, Jan Paul van Hecke, Lewis Dunk, and Pervis Estupinan.

As for the midfield unit, Carlos Baleba and Diego Gomez should pair up in the double pivot, with Joao Pedro reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Danny Welbeck will likely lead the line for Aston Villa against Brighton on Wednesday, with Kaoru Mitoma and Yankuba Minteh being the two wide attackers.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Hinshelwood, van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan; Baleba, Gomez; Minteh, Pedro, Mitoma; Welbeck

Aston Villa

Unlike his counterpart in the Brighton & Hove Albion dugout, Unai Emery has no new issues to worry about ahead of the trip to the Amex Stadium. Ross Barkley is the only absentee for Aston Villa this week due to a knee injury.

Emiliano Martinez is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Aston Villa lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday. The backline should feature Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, and Lucas Digne.

As for the midfield unit, Amadou Onana should get an opportunity in the double pivot alongside Youri Tielemans. Finally, Ollie Watkins will spearhead the Aston Villa attack against Brighton & Hove Albion, with Marcus Rashford, Morgan Rogers, and Marco Asensio completing the numbers in the offensive quartet.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Rogers, Asensio, Rashford; Watkins

Key Stats

• Brighton & Hove Albion have won only one of their five Premier League home games vs Aston Villa (D2 L2), although that victory came in the corresponding fixture last season (1-0 in May). Meanwhile, after winning five consecutive Premier League games against Brighton between November 2021 and September 2023, the Villans are now winless in their last two against them (D1 L1).
• Brighton & Hove Albion have won their three most recent Premier League games at the Amex Stadium. The Seagulls are aiming to win four successive home matches for the very first time in the top flight.
• Aston Villa have won two of their last three Premier League games (L1), as many as their previous nine beforehand (W2 D5 L2). The Villans are looking to win consecutive away games in the Premier League for the first time since winning their first two outings on the road this season.
• Brighton & Hove Albion have scored at least two goals in their last five Premier League games; never before in their top-flight history have they done so in six successive matches, last scoring twice in more league games in a row in any division in April 2016 in the EFL Championship (7).
• Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion have scored and conceded in 20 of their 29 Premier League games this season. Only Fulham’s games have seen both teams score more often in the division this term (21).

Player to Watch

Joao Pedro

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While Ollie Watkins, Marcus Rashford, and Kaoru Mitoma were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Joao Pedro as our Player to Watch for Wednesday’s Premier League game between Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa at the Amex Stadium.

The Brazilian international has more goal involvement against Aston Villa (4 – G1 A3) than any other opponent in the Premier League. In addition, he has scored in his last two home league games (both penalties); the only players to score in 3+ successive home appearances in the Premier League for the Seagulls are Glenn Murray (twice in 2018), Pascal Gross (Aug 2018), Neal Maupay (Oct 2019), and Danny Welbeck (Oct 2024). Expect Pedro to continue his fine run.

Prediction

Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Aston Villa

The top-four race continues to become more exciting as we approach the run-in. As we begin the season’s final quarter, the margin of error is becoming minuscule. So, we should see a closely-contested affair between two top-four hopefuls in the Premier League.

However, with Aston Villa having one eye on the UEFA Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain, Brighton & Hove Albion might sense an opportunity to punish the away side. However, Marcus Rashford should continue his excellent form to earn his side a point. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw for Wednesday’s tie.