Aston Villa vs Brighton & Hove Albion

Villa Park is the venue as Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion go head-to-head in their last Premier League game of 2024. 

Aston Villa’s see-saw form continued on Boxing Day with a 3-0 loss at Newcastle United, meaning their last four Premier League fixtures have fluctuated between victories (2) and defeats (2). However, Unai Emery’s men have fared outstandingly at Villa Park. While losing five consecutive away league games, they’ve only lost once in their last 12 home matches across all competitions (W7, D4), including three straight wins in the Premier League. As a result, they sit within striking distance of the European spots despite starting this round in mid-table. Brighton’s visit can inspire confidence around the Lions camp, considering they’ve won their last three H2H meetings on home turf. That diminishes the risk of suffering back-to-back Premier League losses for only the second time since May. 

Meanwhile, Brighton’s wasteful finishing came to the fore in a tepid 0-0 home draw against Brentford last time out, condemning the Seagulls to a sixth consecutive winless league match (D4, L2). Despite enduring their joint-longest winless run since April 2022, Fabian Hurzeler’s side can take heart from keeping their first clean sheet in the Premier League since mid-October. The visitors have notoriously struggled with inconsistent performances on the road this season, as witnessed by their evenly-balanced away league record (W3, D3, L3). However, it’s worth noting they only conceded first twice across those nine games, highlighting the potential for a flying start. Worryingly, Brighton have secured just four wins on their top-flight travels since last December (D8, L10).