Matchday 24 of the Premier League is set to deliver action across the grounds, with plenty of intriguing matchups on the slate. Our highlighted fixture this weekend takes place at Villa Park, where Brentford travel to the Second City to face Aston Villa. Below is our full pre-match analysis and breakdown, including team news, player injuries, predicted starting lineups, an Aston Villa vs Brentford tactical preview, key stats, and betting picks.
Odds:
| Aston Villa | Draw | Brentford | |
| American | +100 | +260 | +260 |
| Decimal | 2.00 | 3.60 | 3.60 |
| Fractional | 1/1 | 13/5 | 13/5 |
Head-to-Head This Season
Aston Villa and Brentford have already met twice this season, with Brentford eliminating Aston Villa from the Carabao Cup early in the tournament via a penalty shootout. The Bees have beaten Villa in both meetings this campaign.
Villa will be looking for revenge when they face Brentford this Sunday.
Aston Villa Team News & Injuries
Aston Villa’s team news is especially lengthy at the moment.
Villa lost Ollie Watkins to injury this week during their Europa League clash with RB Salzburg, with the English striker picking up what appears to be a minor hamstring issue. Joining Watkins on the injury list is holding midfielder Youri Tielemans, who sustained an injury in Villa’s match against Newcastle United last weekend.
Although Villa have lost both a striker and a holding midfielder to injury, they have also added reinforcements in those same positions. The club have completed a permanent move for former Villa striker Tammy Abraham from Beşiktaş, while Douglas Luiz has returned to Villa Park on loan from Juventus after his loan spell with Nottingham Forest was terminated.
Also joining Villa on permanent deals are 17-year-old striker Brian Madjo from Metz and 19-year-old winger Alysson Edward from Grêmio.
Injuries: Ollie Watkins, Youri Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn, Ross Barkley
Brentford Team News & Injuries
Unfortunately for Brentford, last weekend saw a double substitution inside the first half, as two key players were forced off injured at the same time. Both Kristoffer Ajer and Mikkel Damsgaard were withdrawn in the 37th minute due to their respective injuries. Brentford manager Keith Andrews has since stated that both injuries appear to be minor, and while both players remain questionable for this weekend, their expected time on the sidelines is believed to be short.
Brentford have also received a boost in midfield, with Jordan Henderson returning from injury.
Injuries: Kristoffer Ajer, Mikkel Damsgaard, Fabio Carvalho, Joshua Dasilva
Predicted Starting Lineups
Aston Villa Lineup Notes
For Aston Villa, Tammy Abraham could be called into action immediately upon his return to Birmingham following Ollie Watkins’ injury, especially with Donyell Malen having recently departed Villa Park for AS Roma.
With both Kamara and Tielemans sidelined, Villa’s midfield has taken a significant hit, and Unai Emery will be tasked with deploying a holding midfield partnership that has had minimal time playing together. Douglas Luiz could see his name on the starting lineup sheet for this one; however, an Onana and Bogarde midfield duo is expected for the Villans.
Brentford Lineup Notes
For Brentford, as previously mentioned, both Ajer and Damsgaard remain questionable for this match. That said, based on the nature of their injuries and comments from Keith Andrews, it would not be surprising if one -or even both – are available to start on Sunday. Damsgaard’s injury appeared slightly more concerning when he was substituted, and for that reason, Jensen is projected to start in the attacking midfield role for Brentford in this fixture.
Match Preview
This match should be an exciting one with these two sides having quite different playing styles, the tactical battle paired with the injuries to each side should be a compelling one.
Aston Villa in Possession
Aston Villa look to play out from the back, deliberately inviting their opponents to press high in order to open space between the lines for Villa players to exploit and progress the ball up the pitch.
In possession and during attacking phases, Villa aim to commit significant numbers centrally, looking to outnumber their opponents in the middle of the pitch. This is the primary area where Villa look to construct and finish attacks.
Villa’s movement and positional rotations in possession have been drilled extensively under Unai Emery, and that work has paid dividends with Villa currently sitting third in the league table. On paper, Villa line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, but the system is extremely fluid in both rotations and transitions. [See image below]
The following examples are taken from Aston Villa vs Everton (January 18, 2026).
Aston Villa’s 4-2-3-1 formation
- Aston Villa look to invert both wingers, bringing them inside to operate more as attacking midfielders
- When Villa’s wingers invert, opposition fullbacks are faced with a decision: track them centrally and leave large spaces wide, or hold their wider positions and leave Villa’s inverted wingers unmarked
- Ian Maatsen pushes forward from the left-back position to pin the opposition fullback and prevent them from tracking Emiliano Buendía centrally
+
- Villa’s objective when progressing the ball is to create a boxed midfield of four players in central areas
- With both wingers moving inside, this allows Morgan Rogers to push higher in Villa’s attacking structure and join the striker on the top line
- Villa aim to hold a back line of three when in possession
- As Villa move the ball up the pitch, Matty Cash pushes forward from right-back, mirroring Maatsen’s role on the opposite flank by pinning the opposition fullback
- When both fullbacks push high, Villa drop a holding midfielder from the central box into the back line to maintain a three-man defensive structure
Alternatively, Villa will at times keep Matty Cash in the back line while allowing the right winger (Guessand or Sancho) to hold the width, with Morgan Rogers occupying the right-sided attacking midfield role within the boxed midfield. [See image below]
- Guessand holds the width down the right flank
- Cash tucks inside to form a back three
- Morgan Rogers stays behind the striker to maintain the boxed midfield shape
- This creates a 3-2-5 attacking structure, with two attacking midfielders positioned to make runs from the half-spaces
With this midfield structure in possession, Villa are able to overload either side of central midfield and create multiple passing options when opponents are unsure whether to commit to man-marking or hold their positional responsibilities. [See images below]
Brentford in Possession
On paper, Keith Andrews’ Brentford side line up in a 4-2-3-1, with frequent rotations and a clear emphasis on transitioning into a 3-2-5 attacking shape.
When in possession, Brentford look to stretch the pitch horizontally from touchline to touchline across all phases of their build-up and attack.
Brentford’s predicted 4-2-3-1 lineup
Left Side:
- Henry looks to push high in attack, providing width while allowing Schade to invert into Brentford’s midfield, or push higher and invert into a more central attacking position
- Janelt drops from his holding midfield position to provide Brentford with a back three
Right Side:
- Depending on where Kayode pushes high, Brentford’s right winger will either remain wide to the touchline providing the width down the right flank or invert into a central attacking position
- Kayode pushes high either down the touchline to provide width, or pushes high into a central attacking position
- When Schade inverts into midfield, Brentford create a three-man central midfield
- In this example, Kayode pushes high down the touchline, allowing Ouattara to invert into a central attacking position
- Brentford’s desired 3-2-5 attacking shape
- Schade inverts into a central attacking position with Henry pushing high and wide
- In this example, Kayode pushes high centrally while Ouattara holds his wide position, providing the width
- When in the 3-2-5 attacking shape, both Schade and Kayode or Ouattara are able to drop off the attacking line and drop into the space between their opposition’s lines
Brentford aim to provide lots of crosses and driven balls into the opposition area for their attackers, especially Igor Thiago, to get on the end of.
Brentford’s Attack vs Aston Villa’s Defensive Structure
Defensively, Aston Villa set up in a 4-4-2 shape and aim to defend narrowly. Villa are willing to concede space in wide areas in order to congest and overload central zones. This defensive approach will be tested against a Brentford side that build, progress, and attack with significant width.
Brentford are likely to rely heavily on the outside lanes, while Villa will be forced to decide whether to protect central areas and allow Brentford space wide, or stretch their defensive shape horizontally – potentially making themselves uncomfortable.
This tactical battle when Brentford are in possession will be a key theme of the match.
Aston Villa’s Attack vs Brentford’s Defensive Structure
In their defensive phase, Brentford also tend to set up in a 4-4-2 shape. However, given Villa’s emphasis on central overloads, Brentford may opt for a 4-2-2-2 defensive structure, allowing their wide players to tuck inside and cover Villa’s holding midfielders.
- Villa’s two central attackers and their two high fullbacks will look to pin Brentford’s back line
- Villa will look to create their boxed midfield with the option of dropping a midfielder into the back line for defensive stability in case of a turnover (especially given Brentford’s ability on the counter-attack
Notably, Brentford’s central defenders often track opposition attackers who drop into space between the lines. This can open space in behind the defensive line. If Brentford’s defenders do step out aggressively, Villa will look to exploit this with runs from their inverted “wingers” operating as two No. 10s in the half-spaces. [See images below]
Aston Villa vs Brentford Prediction
Overall, Aston Villa are expected to control the majority of possession at home, with Brentford relying heavily on set pieces and their counter-attacking threat. A compelling tactical battle is set to unfold between Unai Emery and Keith Andrews.
The outcome of the match will largely depend on how Villa structure their attacking shape in transition. Brentford are quick and direct on the counter, meaning Villa must proceed with caution when committing numbers forward. For Brentford, defensive discipline will be crucial, while in attack they will look to maximize the use of wide areas and create numerical overloads on the flanks.
Both sides have performed well this season; however, Villa are backed to get the job done by remaining patient in possession, overloading central areas, creating chances, and maintaining a rest-defence structure capable of limiting Brentford’s counter-attacking opportunities.
Betting Tips
Pick: Aston Villa – Win
Odds:
- American: +100
- Decimal: 2.00
- Fractional: 1/1
Disclaimer: The betting picks and analysis shared are for informational purposes only and are not guarantees of outcome or financial advice. Please gamble responsibly and only risk money you are willing to lose.
