Brentford entertain Aston Villa at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday in what promises to be an entertaining Premier League fixture.
The Bees are still searching for their first home win of 2025 in the Premier League and come into this game on the back of a 1-1 draw with Everton last week. Their powers at home have waned since the turn of the year, although Thomas Frank’s side still remain a threat and will challenge Aston Villa.
The Villans suffered a humiliating 4-1 away defeat to Crystal Palace in their last Premier League fixture before booking their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over Cardiff City. Unai Emery’s men took a firm command of their Champions League quarter-final fate by beating Club Brugge 3-1 away in the first leg in midweek.
Without further ado, let us take a look at the key battles that could define the outcome of this game.
#Bryan Mbeumo vs Lucas Digne
Bryan Mbeumo has taken his game to the next level this season. Due to his pace, trickery, guile and directness, he has been difficult to contain for the opposing defenders. The Cameroon international, who has scored 15 goals and supplied four assists in the league so far, is in a rich vein of form and can create all kinds of problems for Aston Villa.
The 25-year-old will be tough to handle for the Villans and they will need all the experience of left-back Lucas Digne to keep him in check. Mbeumo certainly can make things happen in and around the box, so Digne must not allow him to time and space on the ball. Instead, the Frenchman should try to pin him back as much as possible with his overlapping runs and energy.
#Marco Asensio vs Keane Lewis-Potter
Having joined Villa on loan from PSG during the winter transfer window, Marco Asensio has not taken much time to show his class in England. He has already netted five goals in seven games in a Villa shirt, seamlessly slotting into Emery’s system.
The Spaniard is expected to start on the right flank in a 4-2-3-1 system, which should see him come up against Keane Lewis-Potter. Primarily a winger, Lewis-Potter has cemented his spot at left-back with consistent displays this season in the injury absence of Rico Henry. The 24-year-old’s all-action displays gives the Bees a different dimension at both ends of the pitch.
That being said, how Lewis-Potter deals with the in-form Asensio will be intriguing to watch.
#Morgan Rogers vs Vitaly Janelt
Thanks to his ball-carrying ability, flair, and incisive passing, Morgan Rogers makes Villa click in the final third. The England international can create opportunities out of nothing, something Brentford have to be wary about.
The job of locking Rogers will fall on Vitaly Janelt, who has been a regular for Brentford in the last couple of seasons. Excelling as a No.6, Janelt should make sure that the Villa playmaker does not get too much freedom on the ball. The German has to be clever with his positioning to nullify his threat whilst trying to keep things simple in the middle of the park.
