In one of the standout fixtures in the Championship this weekend, high-flying Brighton and Hove Albion play hosts to Aston Villa on Friday night.
The Seagulls have been in outstanding form this term and currently sit second in the standings – just three points behind the leaders Newcastle United.
Chris Hughton’s men come into the fixture at the Amex Stadium on the back of four successive league wins, including a 5-0 thumping of promotion rivals Norwich City.
Meanwhile, Villa are looking to make an instant return to the Premier League following their disappointing relegation last season, but a poor start to the campaign saw Roberto Di Matteo sacked, with the Italian replaced by former Hull City boss Steve Bruce.
The Midlands outfit are now unbeaten in their last five, however, and consequentially just five points from the play-off positions. Here are three reasons why Villa will claim victory on Friday night.
Momentum
As we mentioned before, Villa are unbeaten in five matches since Bruce’s arrival – including three wins – and starting to gain some momentum as they look to climb up the Championship table.
While Brighton have been in scintillating form in recent weeks, the Villans could pose a different threat altogether for the hosts; they’ve taken four points from the last six away from home, showing that they are a huge threat on the road.
They’ve got Jonathan Kodjia
The Ivory Coast international is in fine form and has scored five goals in five games since Bruce took the reins at the start of October, including a brace in the 2-1 win against Blackburn Rovers last time out.
If you give the former Bristol City man a chance, he will likely take it based on current form.
If Villa are to take all three points back to the Midlands, they will need their leading marksman to maintain his clinical finishing from recent weeks.
Firepower
While they may have picked up some impressive results at home – including a 5-0 thrashing of Norwich – the Seagulls have also shown that they can be beaten on the south coast.
Earlier in the campaign, Hughton’s men lost 2-0 at home to Brentford, and with the likes of Ross McCormack, Jonathan Kodjia and Albert Adomah at his disposal, Bruce will know that his side have the firepower to score at least once on Friday night.
