Steven Gerrard braces for tough first test as manager welcoming top-flight seagulls to Premier League clash
Steven Gerrard is hoping to take the helm of Aston Villa when his new host briefs Brighton this weekend.
Gerrard was named Villa boss last week after three years with Rangers, where he won the club’s first Scottish Premiership title in ten years.
Gerrard will be out for three points in his debut as Villa boss against Brighton
The Liverpool icon sealed his first job in the English top flight after replacing Dean Smith, who was sacked after a five-game losing streak.
Gerrard has a tough job trying to instantly turn the tide at Villa Park with visitors Brighton on points level with sixth place Manchester United.
Aston Villa vs. Brighton: talkSPORT commentary
This Premier League clash will kick off at 3 p.m. on Saturday, November 20.
Full coverage of Villa Park will be live exclusively on talkSPORT, with our pre-match prep starting at 2:30 p.m.
Adrian Durham will be your presenter and the comments will come from Nigel Adderley and former Arsenal winger Perry Groves.
Villa are winless in their last three games against the Seagulls and are currently on their longest losing streak since being relegated in 2016.
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Villa rushed to name Gerrard after Dean Smith was fired
Aston Villa v Brighton: team news
Ezri Konsa will return from suspension for the home side, but Gerrard has yet to meet a number of his first-team stars due to international duties.
Tyrone Mings, John McGinn, Matty Cash, Emi Martinez and summer signing Leon Bailey are among the players who are expected to return to form at Villa this week.
But Marvelous Nakamba injured his groin while playing for Zimbabwe and looks set to miss alongside Bertrand Traoré and Trezeguet.
Dougas Luiz and Morgan Sanson also remain in doubt due to a hamstring problem and illness respectively and did not train on Monday.
Brighton, meanwhile, will be without goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, who is serving a two-match suspension for the red card he received against Newcastle.
The Seagulls have a number of other injury issues with Danny Welbeck and Steven Alzate among the club’s long-term absentees.
Dan Burn remains in doubt amid a recent knee problem while Enock Mwepu was forced to miss his international duty with Zambia due to a muscle problem.
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Two of Villa’s big summer signatures have yet to launch
Aston Villa vs Brighton: what has been said?
Gerrard told Villa TV: “I think Aston Villa is selling. It’s an iconic football club that I know quite well from the outside.
“I’m excited to get involved on the inside, to start building relationships, to participate in the training and to get started.
“The arousal levels are really, really high. I am very ambitious and the start cannot come fast enough.
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Cucurella has been one of the signings of the season for Brighton
Aston Villa v Brighton: match information
- Since winning their first Premier League game against Brighton in October 2019, Aston Villa have not had any of three wins against the Seagulls (D2 L1) and have not led for a single minute in any of those games.
- In all competitions, Brighton have won just one of their last 12 games against Aston Villa (5 draws, 6 losses), a 2-1 away win last season in the Premier League, their first ever win in the League. ‘exterior against Villa.
- Seven of the eight Premier League goals scored in that game were scored by an Englishman (87.5%), the highest percentage of English scorers in any current Premier League game to have scored at least five goals in the match. competition. The exception was a goal for Belgian Leandro Trossard in January 2020.
- Aston Villa have lost each of their last five Premier League games, their longest losing streak since a streak of 11 in the 2015-16 campaign. Overall, this is Aston Villa’s sixth round in at least five consecutive Premier League defeats, with just four teams having more (Bolton, Crystal Palace, Fulham and Southampton – all 7).
- Brighton are winless in six Premier League games, although five of them have finished at (L1) level. Away, the Seagulls are one of three teams still unbeaten in the Premier League this quarter (W2 D3), along with Chelsea and West Ham United.
- Aston Villa have recorded more goalless draws than any other team in Premier League history (104). Meanwhile, neither team have had a higher share of their Premier League games ending 0-0 than Brighton (12% – 19/163).
- Steven Gerrard will be the 13th different permanent manager to take charge of Aston Villa in the Premier League. Only two of the previous 12 won their first such match for the club (D6 L4), with John Gregory beating Liverpool (February 1998) and Gérard Houllier beating Wolves (September 2010).
- Last season, Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez had the best save% of any goalkeeper to play in at least half of his team’s games (75.4%). This season, the Argentine holds the third worst record in the competition (63.8%).
- Brighton’s Danny Welbeck has scored five Premier League goals against Aston Villa, his most against an opponent. He’s scored in each of his last four league starts against Villa, with his last four goals against them all at Villa Park.
- Brighton’s Leandro Trossard is looking to score in three consecutive Premier League games for the first time. The Belgian has already scored as many away league goals this season (2) as he has in his first two Premier League campaigns combined.
