Aston Villa - Brentford predictions and free betting tips [06/04/2024]

On Saturday, April 6th, within the 32nd round of the Premier League, Aston Villa will host Brentford at their home ground. The Villans can manage a first championship double against the Bees in 77 years, should they bag maximum points on their home turf–this follows their triumph with a 1:2 score four months ago in the first leg.

Aston Villa

Villa's performance this season has exceeded all expectations as they've joined the race for Champions League qualification. The Birmingham side holds the 4th place in the Premier League table, two points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham (although they've played one game more). Recently, the Claret & Blues have been in less than stellar form, evidenced by having won just one of their last four bouts, drawn once, and lost twice. Following a win over Wolverhampton last weekend (2:0), Unai Emery's wards lost to Manchester City this week (4:1). Villa kept afloat for the majority of the first half at the Etihad, with John Duran even equalizing the scoreboard after Rodri's goal — however, Phil Foden netted a hat-trick that eventually clinched a runaway victory for the Cityzens.The home team will meet Lille in the Europa Conference League quarter-finals next Thursday. Defenders Mings and Cash, midfielder Kamara, winger Ramsey and playmaker Buendia continue to be sidelined due to injury. The readiness of key striker Watkins (16 goals and 10 assists) to play this week remains questionable due to a thigh injury. The team received a boost with the return of captain McGinn from suspension. Duran made the most of Watkins' absence on the Etihad and is likely to feature from the onset this weekend, with support in attack from Douglas Luiz (9 goals and 5 assists), Diaby (5 goals and 7 assists), and Bailey (8 goals and 8 assists). Pau Torres, Alex Moreno, Youri Tielemans, and Leon Bailey will also vie for a starting berth.

Brentford

Currently, Brentford sits 15th in the Premier League table, six points clear of the relegation zone. Having failed to win in their last 8 matches (3 draws and 5 defeats), Thomas Frank's team has been in quite a rocky patch for several weeks now. With seven matches left in the league, the Bees – currently six points above the drop zone – must promptly step up their game. Though last weekend, the London outfit managed a draw with Manchester United (1:1), and another stalemate with Brighton earlier this week (0:0). While the Seagulls maintained 67% ball possession and fired 24 shots on target, it was the Bees who created more dangerous chances. However, referee Andy Madley cancelled an earlier awarded penalty for Yoane Wissa's foul on Lewis Dunk following a VAR review.

Brentford has lost nine of their previous 10 away Premier League clashes, including each of the last four. The London side's definitive squad lacks defenders Mbe, Pinnock, Hickey and Henry, as well as Dasilva and Shade – all injured. Whether or not core midfielder Norgaard will be fit to play on Saturday remains doubtful, given he's close to returning after missing three rounds. The attack will certainly feature England's forward Ivan Toney (4 goals), who missed the first half of the season due to a lengthy suspension; he will be aided by Wissa (7 goals) and Mbeumo (7 goals and 3 assists). Mathias Jorgensen, Kristoffer Ajer, and Nathan Collins will continue as centre-backs, with Sergio Reguilon substituting Kina Lewis-Potter on the left flank.

Head-to-head 

Brentford has never won away against Aston Villa, having drawn five times and lost thrice. The first leg clash ended in an away triumph for Villa with a score of 1:2.

Aston Villa - Brentford match prediction

Although Villa hasn't been very successful in home matches recently, falling in three of their last five, Brentford also demonstrates dreadful performances away. While the Bees enjoy a comfortable lead above the relegation zone, the Villans cannot afford to drop points this Saturday: they're being closely followed by Tottenham, who have one less game played. The backing of their home audience should bolster the hosts' confidence; thus, I’m backing a Claret & Blues' triumph.