Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the English Premier League match.
Brighton have drawn their recent matches, resulting in their drop to the lowest position they've held all season—10th place. Meanwhile, Aston Villa are eager to recover after dropping points in Newcastle.
Aston Villa
St. James' Park is traditionally a stronghold for Newcastle United, so a loss for Aston Villa was anticipated, although the 0:3 defeat was somewhat unexpected, especially following their home victory over Manchester City (2:1). It wasn't solely down to the hosts, who had a strong left-wing attack and Alexander Isak, but also the referee, who made a debatable decision to send off Jhon Duran in the 32nd minute. The foul was not intentional, and a mere warning would have made it easier for Aston Villa to recover from a 0:1 deficit.
Brighton
Brighton failed to score midweek against Brentford (0:0) for the first time since mid-September. They had a similar home match against Ipswich Town in the autumn, where chances just wouldn't convert, and the goalkeeper saved everything. Again, both matches ended scoreless. In their match against Brentford, Brighton tallied 24 shots, with 7 reaching the goalkeeper and 1.31 xG. Against Ipswich Town, they recorded 21 shots, 6 on target, and 1.66 xG. Between these two scoreless encounters, Brighton played 15 more matches, with both teams scoring in 14 and exceeding a total over 2.5 in 12.
Aston Villa vs Brighton Prediction
Aside from the last two games, a total over 2.5 has been seen in 5 of the last 10 encounters, making it 7 out of 10 overall. A victory for the visitors is also possible (three out of nine this season), so we'll bet on the total over 2.5.
