Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the English Premier League match.
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion earned a 2:0 win in Nottingham, where Nottingham Forest had hoped to claim a third consecutive victory. The visitors scored exactly as much as they were expected to (2.00 xG), while the hosts clearly fell short (0.89 xG). Aston Villa, meanwhile, had to battle for a long time to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers, but the bottom side in the Premier League did not want to be left without points again. Emiliano Martínez had to work hard to make his four saves. The match was decided in favour of them only after a precise top-corner strike from Boubacar Kamara in the 67th minute.
Aston Villa
Both teams are clearly fine in attack, but they are scoring only slightly more than expected: Brighton & Hove Albion are at +1.85 and Aston Villa at +2.91 in xG. Their defensive lines, led by goalkeepers Bart Verbruggen and Emiliano Martínez, look much stronger. Brighton have conceded 3.36 fewer than expected, while Aston Villa are the best team in the league in this respect (–8.17 xGDiff).
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Aston Villa Prediction
Since all three possible results are highly unpredictable, we figure it’s smarter to skip the big risks and just bet on under 2.5 goals. That pick isn't a guarantee either, but a few good saves from the goalkeepers could easily help us win that bet.
