Aston Villa aim to keep their Champions League dreams on track as desperate Brentford head to Villa Park on Saturday.
WATCH ASTON VILLA v BRENTFORD LIVE
Unai Emery’s Villa were pummelled 4-1 at Manchester City on Wednesday but big injuries have cropped up with Emiliano Martinez and Ollie Watkins out for that game, while John McGinn was suspended. All three could return for this game against Brentford which would be a big boost, while Villa still have a comfortable lead over sixth-place Manchester United and are looking increasingly likely to qualify for the Champions League.
Brentford are without a win in eight games as Thomas Frank’s side grabbed a scrappy point in a 0-0 draw at home to Brighton on Wednesday. The Bees are six points above the relegation zone and have plenty of winnable games coming up so they should be fine but it is still getting a bit nervy. An intriguing sub-plot will also play out at Villa Park on Saturday as Brentford’s main man Ivan Toney and Villa’s main forward Ollie Watkins are vying to be in the England squad for EURO 2024 this summer and be Harry Kane’s back-up. England boss Gareth Southgate will be keeping a close eye on this one.
How to watch Aston Villa vs Brentford live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 10am ET Saturday (April 6)
TV Channel: USA Network
Online: Watch live online via NBC.com
Aston Villa focus, team news
Getting McGinn back from suspension is huge for Villa and both Wakins and Martinez seem likely to return too, so that is a boost for Emery. Villa rotated their lineup heavily at Man City in midweek and will be targeting yet another home win this weekend to stay ahead of Tottenham in the race for fourth place. Defensive injuries have hit Villa hard and they need to improve at the back if they’re going to finish the season strongly in the Premier League and Europa Conference League.
OUT: Boubacar Kamara (torn ACL – out for season), Emiliano Buendia (torn ACL – out for season), Tyrone Mings (torn ACL – out for season), Jacob Ramsey (foot) | QUESTIONABLE: Ollie Watkins (hamstring), Emiliano Martinez (illness)
Brentford focus, team news
Brentford have had plenty of big injuries to deal with this season too and that explains whey they’re languishing just above the relegation zone rather than being in the top 10. If the Bees can keep things solid at the back, then Toney, Mbeumo and Wissa will cause Villa plenty of problems with their direct running.
OUT: Ben Mee (ankle – out for season), Rico Henry (torn ACL – out for season), Kevin Schade (adductor), Aaron Hickey (hamstring), Josh Dasilva (torn ACL – out for season) | QUESTIONABLE: Christian Norgaard (back), Ethan Pinnock (ankle)
