Villama Preview: Aston Villa v Brentford

Returning to a more familiar three man midfield in the 2-0 win over Newcastle United, John McGinn and Jacob Ramsey shone with Douglas Luiz returning from Copa America play to anchor the group. At striker, Danny Ings provided what may be the goal of the season with a bicycle kick that mocked both gravity and Newcastle keeper, Freddie Woodman.

On the injury front, Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey both look to be available for Saturday. It’s not unreasonable to think about swapping Anwar El Ghazi with Bailey on the left wing, despite El Ghazi scoring from a penalty. Choosing between Ings and Watkins is a more difficult proposition, but that’s a good problem to have. The rest of the starting 11 should remain the same from the Newcastle match, barring any late injuries.

For Brentford, they arrive at Villa Park after a 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, with the result prior being a 2-0 win over Arsenal on the opening night of the Premier League season. Playing a 3-5-2 formation, there are some familiar faces in their starting 11. The perpetually Villa linked Rico Henty plays on the left side of the midfield while Pontus Jansson, demonstrating a petulant valor in Villa’s stalement against Leeds in 2019, feature’s as the team’s captain. Kristoffer Ajer playing on the right side of the defense and Sergi Canos playing on the right side of the midfield are other players to keep an eye on.

Given previous results, and assuming Aston Villa do not regress, there’s no reason to expect anything less than a win for the home side.

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