Sunday afternoon will see what should be a very entertaining game of football as Brighton Hove Albion host Aston Villa on the final day before the World Cup break.
The home side will be full of confidence after extending their winning run to three matches, after coming from behind to beat the league leaders Arsenal in the Carabao Cup in mid-week.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa face their second Premier League tie under manager Unai Emery, after his side beat Manchester United last Sunday, losing to them four days later in the Carabao Cup tie in mid-week.
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Team News
Roberto Di Zerbi has already confirmed that his side faces no fresh injury concerns, with all of his players avoiding injuries or suspension in mid-week.
The only player currently out with a long-term injury is midfielder Jakub Mulder, who is not expected back until mid-February after suffering a knee injury.
Therefore, the lineup is unlikely to be changed from the side that beat Wolves in their last league game.
Similarly, Unai Emery also faces no fresh injury concerns, despite making seven changes against Manchester United in the cup defeat in mid-week.
Midfielder Philippe Coutinho is out with no current timescale on his return.
Winger Leon Bailey, Matty Cash and Emi Martinez are amongst the players expected to be recalled to the starting eleven, in what should be a very strong selection from the new Villa boss.
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Predicted line-ups
Sanchez; Groß, Dunk, Webster, Estupiñan; MacAllister, Caicedo; March, Lallana, Karou Mitoma; Trossard (4-2-3-1).
Aston Villa
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Luiz, Kamara; Bailey, Ramsey, Buendia; Watkins (4-2-3-1).
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Key players
One of the Premier League’s most in-form players right now is Brighton winger Leandro Trossard.
His form for his club has earned him a place in Belgium’s World Cup side ahead of the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
So far this campaign, Trossard has scored seven goals in 13 Premier League games for his club as well as picking up two assists in the process.
This means on current form, he is averaging 1.4 goal contributions per appearance, something which is only beaten by the division’s standout players like Erling Haaland.
The Belgium international can operate as a winger or striker and is a defender’s nightmare because he likes to drift out wide to receive the ball.
He is also not afraid to run at the opposition and is likely to cause the Aston Villa defence a lot of problems.
Based solely on his performance against Manchester United last weekend, Jamaican winger Leon Bailey is definitely a player worth keeping an eye out for, whether he starts or appears off the bench in the second half.
Bailey is the club’s joint top goalscorer this season, scoring four goals including a goal in his last Premier League appearance.
He has also registered two assists, meaning he contributes to a goal every 2.5 matches for Emery’s side.
Although that statistic does not sound ideal, it does give fans a false opinion on a player who is very likely to cause Brighton several problems throughout the game.
He is quick, skilful and loves to run at the opposition.
If the visitors are keen to make it back-to-back Premier League wins, then Bailey will need to be involved as much as possible.
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Match details
Where is the match being played?
Sunday afternoon’s Premier League tie between Brighton and Aston Villa will take place at the Amex Stadium.
What time is kick-off?
The game is part of Sky Sports’ ‘Super Sunday’ show, therefore, it will be the earlier 2pm kick-off.
Where can I watch the game?
The main way to access viewing will be to watch the game live on Sky Sports Main Event or Sky Sports Premier League.
Live radio coverage can be found on BBC Sounds and TalkSport as well as live score updates via both side’s official social media pages.