Kick-off: 1500, 28/08/2021
Stadium: Villa Park
Brentford have made a bright start to life in the Premier League but Aston Villa are rated a fair bit ahead of them in their development.
Dean Smith’s side ended up a solid 11th last season and will be looking to finish in the top half of the table this term.
We’re happy to take 19/20 for a home win as our first Aston Villa vs Brentford prediction.
A Look At Aston Villa’s Betting Odds
Villa paid the price for a sloppy start when beaten 3-2 at Watford in their opening match but lessons were learned from that wake-up call.
The Midlands outfit were more focused when posting a 2-0 success versus Newcastle at this venue, with the visitors managing just a single effort on target.
At the other end, Danny Ings fired in a spectacular overhead kick on the stroke of half-time and Anwar El Ghazi converted a penalty in the second period.
Smith told Match of the Day: “It was an okay performance but a much better result after last week. You have to battle for the first win and we did that.”
Villa made 10 changes for Tuesday’s EFL Cup clash at Barrow but a 6-0 romp will still have been another confidence booster.
Teenage forward Cameron Archer hit a hat-trick to help us land a trio of successful selections in our match preview.
With the big guns back, it is hard to get away from 4/1 for Ings to score first from the Aston Villa vs Brentford odds.
The 29-year-old was a prolific marksman for Burnley and Southampton and has two goals in two games for Villa.
Last Villa EPL line-up: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Young, Douglas Luiz, McGinn, Buendia, El Ghazi, Ramsey, Ings.
Villa striker Ollie Watkins has been managing a bruised knee and has yet to play this season but could be fit to face his former club.
Smith thinks the game will come too soon for Leon Bailey (hamstring) and Bertrand Traore (hamstring). Keinan Davis and Morgan Sanson (knee) remain out.
A Look At Brentford’s Betting Odds
Brentford followed up gaining promotion via the play-offs by upsetting Arsenal 2-0 and then picked up another good point at Crystal Palace.
Bryan Mbeumo’s free-kick grazed the crossbar and Ivan Toney got into some good positions, but the Selhurst Park clash ended goalless.
“I am really pleased and proud of how the boys presented themselves on the pitch,” said Thomas Frank. “Just slightly disappointed with how we were on the ball.
“I think the press was really good, so winning the ball a lot of times. But after we won it, we didn’t have enough quality or coolness.”
The Bees had to come from behind to beat Forest Green 3-1 in the EFL Cup, but nine changes clearly contributed to a slow start.
Brentford should have no worries about staying up, judged on what we have seen so far, but this still feels like a tough early test.
Let’s finish off our Aston Villa vs Brentford betting tips by taking 9/1 for a 2-0 home win.
Last Brentford EPL line-up: Raya, Henry, Pinnock, Jansson, Ajer, Norgaard, Onyeka, Mbeumo, Janelt, Canos, Toney.
Bees defender Ethan Pinnock is fit despite limping off with an ankle knock against Forest Green. Mathias Jensen and Shandon Baptiste are close to recovering from injuries and will be assessed but Josh DaSilva and Mads Bech Sorensen will miss out.
Additional stats
Last result:
Barrow 0-6 ASTON VILLA – Cameron Archer (3), Anwar El Ghazi (2), Frederic Guilbert
BRENTFORD 3-1 Forest Green – Yoane Wissa, Bryan Mbeumo, Marcus Forss
Head-to-head: Brentford 1-0 Aston Villa, Aston Villa 2-2 Brentford, Brentford 2-1 Aston Villa, Aston Villa 0-0 Brentford
Join bwin today and receive up to £20 money back as a FreeBet if your first wager (3+ selections at odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater) is a loser! Terms and conditions apply.