Brighton v Aston Villa match preview
After contrasting experiences in the FA Cup quarter-finals, Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa meet at the Amex Stadium on Wednesday in a potentially pivotal game for both sides’ ambitions of qualifying for European competition next season.
Villa breezed to a final-four contest against Crystal Palace by winning 3-0 at Preston North End on Sunday, a day after Albion were knocked out on penalties at home to Nottingham Forest in their first defeat in eight matches in all competitions.
“They are a very mature and experienced team,” said Seagulls manager Fabian Hurzeler, noting that Villa are in the Champions League quarter-finals on their debut in the modern iteration of the competition.
“We know they want to go to Europe. They are still in three competitions and going for a title, so they have had a great season.”
“We have to stick together and show a reaction. We’ve proved that already this season.” 💬 pic.twitter.com/WGSheZlzlC
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) March 29, 2025
Seventh-placed Brighton would record a historic fourth successive top-flight home win and rise as high as fourth with a victory, while Villa are two points behind them and could move level with fifth-placed Manchester City.
“They are performing very, very well,” Villans manager Unai Emery said of Brighton, describing Hurzeler as “fantastic” during his time in Germany with former club St Pauli.
“Our test is a huge [one] – to show how we can face them and impose or dominate against a team in very good form.
“There are a lot of teams there fighting for these [European qualification] positions. It’s amazing how we are facing the last part of the season.”
Brighton v Villa team news
Forward Georginio Rutter (ankle) and centre-back Adam Webster (muscular) could miss the rest of Brighton’s season after sustaining injuries against Forest.
Winger Yankuba Minteh suffered severe cramp during extra time of that game, while full-back Ferdi Kadioglu remains out but midfielders Solly March and Mats Wieffer could return to contention.
Forward Leon Bailey is out for Villa with a knock but playmaker Ross Barkley has returned to training and on-loan Chelsea defender Axel Disasi is back in contention after being ineligible for the trip to Preston.
Ollie Watkins – the top-scoring English striker in the Premier League, with 13 goals and six assists this season – is among the players who could return to the starting line-up alongside captain John McGinn.
Brighton v Aston Villa expected line-ups
Brighton starting XI: Verbruggen; Hinshelwood, Van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan; Baleba, Ayari; Gruda, Gomez, Mitoma; Pedro
Aston Villa starting XI: Martinez; Disasi, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans, Rogers, Rashford; Asensio, Watkins
How to watch Brighton v Villa: Live stream, TV channel
The match starts at 19:45 BST on Wednesday and is not being shown on live TV in the UK.
