Are the Villans gradually moving towards mid-table?
There are five games on the programme on the first Sunday of 2022 according to the current schedule. Before the top game “Tuchel vs. Klopp” kicks off at 5:30 pm, there are four games at 3 pm. Among others, promoted Brentford and Aston Villa will face each other at the Community Stadium.
Both teams are currently in the bottom half of the table, but have a comfortable lead over the relegation places. However, with a win to start the year, both teams could regain ground on the mid-table. Aston Villa currently have two points more to their name and the bookmakers see the visitors as slight favourites. For Burnley against Aston Villa, the betting odds are around 2.5 times.
The Villians have alternated between wins and defeats in recent weeks. If this streak continues, there will now be an away win in London after the recent defeat to Chelsea. Brentford will be hoping to get back in the books after two defeats in a row.
Brentford – Statistics & current form
Brentford did not secure promotion to the English Premier League until the play-offs, but they are the only promoted side to really establish themselves in the league. Both Norwich and Watford have major problems and are in acute relegation trouble. Danish head coach Thomas Frank’s team are currently 14th and already comfortably nine points clear of the first relegation spot.
Five home defeats already for the promoted side
A place in the safe midfield would be a very good result for Brentford given their low budget. However, the decisive factor for the good situation at the beginning of January is not the performances in the home games. Brentford have suffered eight defeats so far, five of them at their own Community Stadium. Only fellow promoted teams Norwich (seven) and Watford (six) have conceded more home defeats.
The defeat in the last game, however, was by no means surprising, as it was against the reigning champions Manchester City. The close result (1:0 for the Citizens) did not quite reflect the course of the game, as Brentford were almost exclusively defensive and hardly found any scoring opportunities.
Don’t expect many goals
A game with few goals was not a big surprise either, because the promoted team is a team that puts a lot of emphasis on stable defence. For the fourth time already, a Brentford home game ended with a maximum of one goal. So the forecast for Brentford against Aston Villa is definitely under 2.5. Value can also be found at under 1.5, although there is a certain risk involved here.
Predicted Brentford line-up:
Fernandez – Jansson, Bech Sörensen, Pinnock – Thompson, Jensen, Baptiste, Onyeka, Roerslev Rasmussen – Toney, Wissa
Last matches played by Brentford:
Premier League
12/29 2021 – Brentford 0 – 1 Manchester City
12/26 2021 – Brighton 2 – 0 Brentford
Carabao Cup
12/22 2021 – Brentford 0 – 2 Chelsea London
Premier League
12/10 2021 – Brentford 2 – 1 Watford
12/05 2021 – Leeds 2 – 2 Brentford
Aston Villa – Statistics & current form
The Birmingham team has already suffered ten defeats in the first half of the 2021 season. Only the promoted Norwich (13) and Watford (twelve) have conceded more than the Villans. And yet the team is in a secure midfield position, with an eye on a single-digit place in the table.
Bubbly or seltzer
Ten defeats are offset by seven victories, after only one match ended in a draw. This exception was the first leg against the Bees, of all teams, otherwise it was always “champagne or seltzer”. Aston Villa have not shared points in 15 PL games and, if they win on Sunday, they will have gone on a 16-match winless streak for the first time since 1998.
The away record so far is clearly negative, with three wins and six defeats. However, since Steven Gerrard took charge of the Villans, there have been two wins in three away games. An upward trend is clearly visible despite three defeats in seven games, as Aston Villa only lost to the three title favourites Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea.
Scored in 15 of 18 games
Only in defeats to Chelsea (first leg, 0-3), Southampton (0-1) and Liverpool (0-1) have Aston Villa gone without a goal of their own this term. In each of the other 15 league games, the attack was able to score. The two top strikers, Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings, have so far fallen short of expectations with five and three goals respectively. In total, twelve different Villa players have scored once in the Premier League. The Villans are not dependent on individual players going forward. The many different goal scorers are certainly one of the great strengths.
Predicted line-up of Aston Villa:
Martinez – Targett, Mings, Konsa, Cash – Sanson, Douglas Luiz, Ramsey – Buendia – Ings, Watkins
Last matches played by Aston Villa:
Premier League
12/26 2021 – Aston Villa 1 – 3 Chelsea London
12/14 2021 – Norwich 0 – 2 Aston Villa
12/11 2021 – Liverpool FC 1 – 0 Aston Villa
12/05 2021 – Aston Villa 2 – 1 Leicester
12/01 2021 – Aston Villa 1 – 2 Manchester City
Brentford – Aston Villa Direct Comparison / H2H Record
The direct comparison is an encouragement for the promoted side from London. In the last seven league games, Brentford have not lost to the team from Birmingham (three wins, four draws). The Bees have won all three of those matches in front of their home crowd (between 2017 and 2019).
Brentford – Aston Villa Tip
Aston Villa have gone seven consecutive games without a win against the Bees from London and yet Gerrard’s eleven are considered slight favourites in the first game of 2022. The Villans have improved significantly of late, only losing to the absolute top teams. Against teams on a par with them, the team from Birmingham has been very consistent recently and is therefore rightly seen as slight favourites.
Qualitatively, the Villans’ squad is certainly one step above Brentford, who also have a lot of problems at home and have already suffered five defeats at the Community Stadium. Home weakness meets higher quality with an upward trend – that’s why our prediction for Brentford against Aston Villa is on the away win. Five units are recommended for this bet at the start of the year
