Aston Villa will host Brentford at Villa Park on Sunday afternoon, looking to maintain their strong title push against a Brentford team trying to bounce back from poor form.
Villa stands third in the league, just four points behind leaders Arsenal. Since late September, they have been the top-performing team, earning 43 points and winning 14 matches. A recent home loss to Everton ended an eight-game winning streak, but they have quickly regained form with three straight victories in all competitions.
Brentford, currently in eighth place, has defeated Villa twice in domestic matches this season. However, they come into this match after consecutive 2–0 defeats to Chelsea and Nottingham Forest.
Aston Villa vs Brentford – Match Preview and Team News
- Date: Sunday, 1 February 2026
- Kick-off: 14:00 GMT
- Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham
- Referee: Tim Robinson
- VAR: Paul Tierney
- Last Meeting: Brentford 1–1 Aston Villa (Brentford won on penalties, 16 Sep 2025), League Cup
Team News
Aston Villa
Manager Unai Emery faces an injury concern with Ollie Watkins, who left the recent Europa League match against Salzburg with a possible hamstring issue. A recent scan showed inconclusive results, so a final decision on his status will be made on Sunday morning.
If Watkins cannot play, new signing Tammy Abraham is expected to lead the attack. Villa is also without John McGinn (knee), Youri Tielemans (ankle), and Boubacar Kamara (knee). However, Ross Barkley has returned to full training and may feature.
Brentford
Keith Andrews is uncertain about the availability of Kristoffer Ajer (ankle) and Mikkel Damsgaard (knee), both of whom were substituted early during last weekend’s match. Their injuries aren’t as serious as initially thought, but they are still doubtful for the game.
Josh Dasilva, Fabio Carvalho, and Antoni Milambo remain out due to knee injuries. Dango Ouattara and Sepp van den Berg may start if the doubtful players are ruled out.
Form
Aston Villa
Villa has been strong at home, earning 25 points from 11 matches at Villa Park this season. They have never lost to Brentford in 10 previous home league meetings (W4 D6), which is their longest unbeaten record against any team at home. They are known for excellent long-range shooting, with a league-high 13 goals from outside the box this season. Recent highlights include a 2–0 win at Newcastle and a thrilling 3–2 comeback against RB Salzburg.
Brentford
Brentford has struggled to find form away from home, losing eight of their 11 away matches this season without recording a draw. All three of their away defeats came with a two-goal margin. After recent back-to-back 2–0 losses to Chelsea and Nottingham Forest, they will be looking to improve. Igor Thiago remains a key player, with only Erling Haaland scoring more goals than him this season.
Predicted Lineups
Aston Villa Predicted XI: MartÃnez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Sancho, Luiz, Onana, BuendÃa; Rogers; Abraham
Brentford Predicted XI: Kelleher; Kayode, Van den Berg, Collins, Henry; Yarmoliuk, Janelt; Ouattara, Jensen, Schade; Thiago
How to Watch Aston Villa vs Brentford?
The match will be aired live in the UK on Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage starting at 13:00 GMT.
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